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

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.