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Why The Wizard of Oz Keeps on Selling
by L. Frank Baum
by L. Frank Baum
In this essay, written by Baum himself, we are given a rare and enlightening glimpse into the mind of the author. What an unusual chance it is to read in Baum's own words, why he thought this very special tale would endure....
What has made The Wizard of Oz so successful? There are three main factors, all of concern to today's juvenile fantasy writers.
First, the story is told clearly in simple language easily understood by the child reader. In preparing the manuscript, the author placed on the wall above his desk a quotation to which he constantly referred: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child." This is the first lesson every juvenile writer must learn.
Secondly, the story is properly directed to a particular age group. In no other field of writing is there such a distinct variation in the type of appeal required as in the juvenile field.
The The Wizard of Oz was written to interest the "tender age" class but it did more than that—it also interested the adults who had to read the story to the little ones. That's one of the big secrets of writing for this early age group. To appeal to the parents the story must contain humor, often subtle, and an undercurrent of philosophy which they will recognize and chuckle over, and which will make it for them more than just a child's story.
The The Wizard of Oz fantasy is woven out of commonplace material. That is the third basic reason for its success. Reality and unreality are so entwined that it is often difficult to know where one leaves off and the other begins....
The opening scene [in The The Wizard of Oz] depicts a logical situation. A little girl living on the Kansas prairie is caught in a cyclone which carries away her house while she and her little dog are inside. But in the story, the storm lands the little girl's home in a mythical country—the Land of Oz. Her problem is to get back home to Kansas.
There are blocking forces to cause trouble—the Deadly Poppy Field, the Fighting Trees, the Hammerheads, the Kalidahs and the broad river to cross with no boat or bridge available. Through it all, however, nothing happens to the leading character to make her afraid and thereby frighten the little reader. A child can carry this story into the darkness of night without fear of harm from any of the quaint characters.
The odd characters are logically explained. For example, the Scarecrow was made by a farmer to keep the crows from his field. Although he stuffed the head as well as the body, the farmer neglected to put in any brains.
Contrast is used throughout the book. There is the Lion who is always telling how cowardly he is, but who invariably proves to be the bravest member of the party; the Scarecrow who complains of lack of brains, yet is the one to solve every tough problem; the Tin Woodman who has no heart, yet is so kind and gentle that he cannot bear to injure the smallest ant in his path; the Wizard who is thought to be the greatest magician in the land, yet who turns out to be a fake and a humbug.
An example of whimsical humor is found when the Cowardly Lion demands he be given courage. The Wizard hands him a bowl of liquid to drink. When the Lion wants to know what it is, the Wizard explains: "If it were inside you it would be courage. You know of course that courage is always inside one so this really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it." This sort of touch appeals to the parent who has to read aloud to the child.
The The Wizard of Oz is told chronologically so that childish minds may easily follow the sequence of events. The story leaves the reader with a feeling that it all could have happened just as it was told. And the end is not spoiled by the author's explanation that these marvelous adventures were a dream or a hallucination. Never attempt to explain fantasy.
In writing this book, the author refrained from the use of certain incidents and situations, either because "tender age" minds could not grasp their import or because he felt it unwise to draw attention to them. No mention is made of love or marriage; of death or sickness; of killing human beings. There is no use of such trite fairy tale devices as genie, dwarf or ogre. No blood-curdling or disagreeable incidents occur. And no attempt is made to impress a moral on the child's mind. The The Wizard of Oz is pure entertainment.
First, the story is told clearly in simple language easily understood by the child reader. In preparing the manuscript, the author placed on the wall above his desk a quotation to which he constantly referred: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child." This is the first lesson every juvenile writer must learn.
Secondly, the story is properly directed to a particular age group. In no other field of writing is there such a distinct variation in the type of appeal required as in the juvenile field.
The The Wizard of Oz was written to interest the "tender age" class but it did more than that—it also interested the adults who had to read the story to the little ones. That's one of the big secrets of writing for this early age group. To appeal to the parents the story must contain humor, often subtle, and an undercurrent of philosophy which they will recognize and chuckle over, and which will make it for them more than just a child's story.
The The Wizard of Oz fantasy is woven out of commonplace material. That is the third basic reason for its success. Reality and unreality are so entwined that it is often difficult to know where one leaves off and the other begins....
The opening scene [in The The Wizard of Oz] depicts a logical situation. A little girl living on the Kansas prairie is caught in a cyclone which carries away her house while she and her little dog are inside. But in the story, the storm lands the little girl's home in a mythical country—the Land of Oz. Her problem is to get back home to Kansas.
There are blocking forces to cause trouble—the Deadly Poppy Field, the Fighting Trees, the Hammerheads, the Kalidahs and the broad river to cross with no boat or bridge available. Through it all, however, nothing happens to the leading character to make her afraid and thereby frighten the little reader. A child can carry this story into the darkness of night without fear of harm from any of the quaint characters.
The odd characters are logically explained. For example, the Scarecrow was made by a farmer to keep the crows from his field. Although he stuffed the head as well as the body, the farmer neglected to put in any brains.
Contrast is used throughout the book. There is the Lion who is always telling how cowardly he is, but who invariably proves to be the bravest member of the party; the Scarecrow who complains of lack of brains, yet is the one to solve every tough problem; the Tin Woodman who has no heart, yet is so kind and gentle that he cannot bear to injure the smallest ant in his path; the Wizard who is thought to be the greatest magician in the land, yet who turns out to be a fake and a humbug.
An example of whimsical humor is found when the Cowardly Lion demands he be given courage. The Wizard hands him a bowl of liquid to drink. When the Lion wants to know what it is, the Wizard explains: "If it were inside you it would be courage. You know of course that courage is always inside one so this really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it." This sort of touch appeals to the parent who has to read aloud to the child.
The The Wizard of Oz is told chronologically so that childish minds may easily follow the sequence of events. The story leaves the reader with a feeling that it all could have happened just as it was told. And the end is not spoiled by the author's explanation that these marvelous adventures were a dream or a hallucination. Never attempt to explain fantasy.
In writing this book, the author refrained from the use of certain incidents and situations, either because "tender age" minds could not grasp their import or because he felt it unwise to draw attention to them. No mention is made of love or marriage; of death or sickness; of killing human beings. There is no use of such trite fairy tale devices as genie, dwarf or ogre. No blood-curdling or disagreeable incidents occur. And no attempt is made to impress a moral on the child's mind. The The Wizard of Oz is pure entertainment.
Request a Perusal and a Royalty and Rental Quote
for The Wizard of Oz Today!
Online Application Form
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for The Wizard of Oz Today!
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