Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" have a hidden message? - David B. Parker
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TEDEd Animation
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In his introduction to “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” L. Frank Baum claims that the book is simply an innocent children’s story. But some scholars have found hidden criticisms of late-nineteenth-century economic policies in the book. Is it possible that one of America’s favorite children’s stories is also a subversive parable? David B. Parker investigates the text for clues.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
A good reproduction of the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, featuring the wonderful color illustrations of W. W. Denslow, is available at the Internet Archive.
Henry Littlefield, who came up with the popular interpretation described in the lesson, wrote about his experiences later in The Baum Bugle, which is the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club.
In Oz, Populism, and Intent, Ranjit S. Dighe,argues that “just because the book can be read as a Populist allegory does not mean that it was written as one.”
Contrasting interpretations are explored in “The Fork in the Yellow Brick Road.”
The BBC discussed still other readings of the book here.
What is your interpretation of the book?
Henry Littlefield, who came up with the popular interpretation described in the lesson, wrote about his experiences later in The Baum Bugle, which is the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club.
In Oz, Populism, and Intent, Ranjit S. Dighe,argues that “just because the book can be read as a Populist allegory does not mean that it was written as one.”
Contrasting interpretations are explored in “The Fork in the Yellow Brick Road.”
The BBC discussed still other readings of the book here.
What is your interpretation of the book?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator David B. Parker
- Director Avi Ofer
- Script Editor Alex Gendler
- Animator Avi Ofer
- Illustrator Avi Ofer
- Composer Marcos Tawil
- Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
