"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"

Book Review # 101852

English > Analysis
Literature > American
Political Science

An examination of L. Frank Baum's connections to the populist party and his references to it in his classic novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

2,500 words () | 10 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the politics of the populist party that can be found within L. Frank Baum's classic novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." It provides a brief history and correlative analysis of the ideology of the populist party, in order to reveal Baum's influences in writing the plot for the novel. The paper also examines the correlation to Baum's own socialist ties with populist reform in the Midwest.

From the Paper:

"In conclusion, the involvement of L. Frank Baum in the Populist Party Movement is a major facet of the plot and character structure in his novel: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The symbolic use of Dorothy and her companions seeking to find the Great Oz, so that they can free the people is paramount to Baum's own quest to garner better living conditions and governmental regulations on the banks that were closing down and confiscating farms all over the Midwest. In this manner, Baum offers a parable of the Populist Party struggle in the Wizard of Oz, but also provides biographical and societal information about his involvement and propagandistic agenda for writing this classic novel for the turn of the 19th century in America."

Sample of Sources Used:

Baum, L. Frank. The Annotated Wizard of Oz. New York: Norton, 2000.
Dighe, Ranjit S. The Historian's Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum's Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory. New York: Praeger, 2002.
Dreier, Peter. "Once Upon a Time The Wizard of Oz was a Populist Fable"; Available from http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us/elcerrito/history/oz.htm; accessed 22 February, 2007.
Goodwyn, Lawrence. The Populist Movement: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Hicks, John D. The Populist Revolt: A History of the Farmer's Alliance and The People's Party. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1959.

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APA Citation:

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Book-Review-The-Wonderful-Wizard-of-Oz/101852