sparkchaser --
Thanks for your latest clarification.
There are actually two essays that have been discussed together as a
persuasive "revisionist" view of the Littlefield hypothesis that "The
Wizard of Oz" represented Baum's populist view of the world. Both of
the essays are contained in this edition of the book: L. Frank Baum,
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, William R. Leach, ed. (Belmont, Calif.,
1991).
The two essays are:
Leach, "The Clown from Syracuse: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum," at p. 2; and
Leach, "A Trickster's Tale: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," at p. 168.
The Leach edition is available at very reasonable prices from several
online sellers of used books. Here is a link to a page listing some
available copies:
Bookfinder.com: Search Results
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&qi=3PnDKjW6R84Rnio4lxSb,nc4yCY_3951842572_1:1:2
A discussion of these essays in the context of a discussion of the
"populism" theory of "The Wizard of Oz" can be found in this article
from the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians:
The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a "Parable on
Populism," by David B. Parker
http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/Populism.htm
Here is a brief excerpt from the article:
"By the 1980s, Littlefield's interpretation had become the standard
line on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.(12) Recently, however, one of his
basic assertions--that the book was, like the Populist movement
itself, a critique of American industrial capitalism--has been
challenged by scholars who argue that the book actually celebrated the
urban consumer culture of the turn of the century. . . .
"The best statement of this revisionist view is William R. Leach's two
essays in a new edition of the book. Baum's masterpiece was popular,
Leach explained, 'because it met--almost perfectly--the particular
ethical and emotional needs of people living in a new urban,
industrial society' . . . .
"Leach's new look at Baum directly challenged much of what Littlefield wrote."
In a footnote to the passages I have excerpted, the author suggests
that Leach's view may not be as inconsistent with Baum's view as it
appears:
"One could try to reconcile the differences by suggesting that The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz was not so much about the Populists themselves
as it was about the culture that gave rise to the Populists.
Midwestern farmers were well aware of the consumer paradise Leach
described (through the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog, for example);
perhaps their inability to partake more fully in that paradise was one
of the reasons for the agrarian discontent that led to the Populists.
"
The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a "Parable on
Populism," by David B. Parker (at footnote 14)
http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/Populism.htm
Search Strategy:
I began with the following general Google search:
"wizard of oz" essay
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22wizard+of+oz%22+essay
This led immediately to the Littlefield essay, which I followed up
with various searches for an edition of the Baum book that contained
the essay. Here are examples of these searches:
"wizard of oz" "parable on populism"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=%22wizard+of+oz%22+%22parable+on+populism%22
"wizard of oz" includes littlefield
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=%22wizard+of+oz%22includes+littlefield
These, and many other searches, did not turn up any such editions, and
I ended these efforts when I was reasonably satisfied that I had
reached a dead end and asked for your further clarification.
I then went back to the original searches and discovered from the
article quoted above that the Leach essays were included in his 1991
edition of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
Finally, I determined that copies of that edition are available for
purchase online.
Based on your clarifications, I am reasonably certain that the above
information is what you are seeking. If anything is unclear, please
ask for clarification before rating the answer, and I would be happy
to assist you further.
markj-ga |
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