The Wizard of Oz as American Myth: A Critical Study of Six Versions of the Story, 1900-2007 - Softcover

Alissa Burger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 078646643X ISBN 13: 9780786466436

Publisher: McFarland & Co, 2012

Synopsis

Since the publication of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, authors, filmmakers, and theatrical producers have been retelling and reinventing this uniquely American fairy tale. This volume examines six especially significant incarnations of the story: Baum's original novel, the MGM classic The Wizard of Oz (1939), Sidney Lumet's African American film musical The Wiz (1978), Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's Broadway hit Wicked: A New Musical (2003), and the SyFy Channel miniseries Tin Man (2007). A close consideration of these works demonstrates how versions of Baum's tale are influenced by and help shape notions of American myth, including issues of gender, race, home, and magic, and makes clear that the Wizard of Oz narrative remains compelling and relevant today.

About this title

About the Author

Alissa Burger is an assistant professor of English and humanities at the State University of New York at Delhi. She lives in Walton, New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: McFarland & Co
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 078646643X
• ISBN 13: 9780786466436
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 275