Oz in Perspective
Oz in Perspective

Author: Richard Tuerk

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-03-26

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0786482915

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When moviegoers accompany Dorothy through the gates of the Emerald City, they may think they have discovered all there is to see of Oz--but as real friends of the Wizard know, more lies behind the curtain. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, on which the 1939 film was based, was only the first of 14 Oz books. Together these works constitute a series rich in allusions to a broad range of literary traditions, including fairy tale, myth, epic, the picaresque novel, and visions of utopia. Reflecting on L. Frank Baum's entire series of full-length Oz books, this study introduces readers to the great folklorist who created not only Dorothy and friends, but countless wonderful characters who still await discovery. Close analysis of each book invites readers to search Baum's fascinating stories for meaning and mythical quality. Progressing chronologically through the canon, the author discusses literary devices and important thematic implications in each book, arguing that Baum wrote for the pleasure of both children and adults, both to provide entertainment and to teach moral lessons. Of particular significance is the argument, sustained over several chapters, that Baum modeled his Oz books on classic mythical patterns, rewriting Oz history in nearly every book to produce a different set of backgrounds and a different conception of utopia for his imaginary kingdom. This variety of backgrounds and archetypes gives Baum's books a truly universal appeal. Examinations of his non-Oz books and his other Oz works, such as Little Wizard Stories of Oz and The Woggle-Bug Book, illuminate the discussion of the Oz novels.

Out of Oz
Out of Oz

Author: Gregory Maguire

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 526

ISBN-13: 0062101234

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“Maguire’s work is melodic, symphonic, and beautiful; it is dejected and biting and brave. How great that people flock to these magical novels.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review Bestselling author Gregory Maguire’s remarkable series, The Wicked Years, comes full circle with this, his fourth and final excursion across a darker, richer, more complex landscape of “the magical land of Oz.” Out of Oz brilliantly reimagines L. Frank Baum’s world over the rainbow as wracked with social unrest—placing Glinda the good witch under house arrest and having the cowardly Lion on the lam from the law as the Emerald City prepares to make war on Munchkinland. Even Dorothy makes a triumphant return in Maguire’s magnificent Oz finale—tying up every loose green end of the series he began with his classic Wicked, the basis for the smash hit Broadway musical.

L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum

Author: Katharine M. Rogers

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: 2007-04-01

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1429979844

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Since it was first introduced over a hundred years ago in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's world of Oz has become one of the most enduring and beloved creations in children's literature. It has influenced numerous prominent writers and intellectuals, and become a lasting part of the culture itself. L. Frank Baum was born in 1856 in upstate New York, the seventh child of a very successful barrel-maker and later oil producer. However, Baum's own career path was a rocky one. Beginning as an actor, Baum tried working as a traveling salesman, the editor of a small town newspaper and the publisher of a trade journal on retailing, failing to distinguish himself in any occupation. His careers either failed to provide a sufficient living for his beloved wife Maud and their children or were so exhausting as to be debilitating. In the 1890's, L. Frank Baum took the advice of his mother-in-law, suffragist leader Matilda Gage, and turned his attention to trying to sell the stories he'd been telling to his sons and their friends. After a few children's books published with varying success, he published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 and it quickly became a bestseller and has remained so ever since. In this first full-length adult biography of Baum, Rogers discusses some of the aspects that made his work unique and has likely contributed to Oz's long-lasting appeal, including Baum's early support of feminism and how it was reflected in his characters, his interest in Theosophy and how it took form in his books, and the celebration in his stories of traditional American values. Grounding his imaginative creations, particularly in his fourteen Oz books, in the reality of his day, Katharine M. Rogers explores the fascinating life and influences of America's greatest writer for children.

Between Friends
Between Friends

Author: Amos Oz

Publisher: HMH

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 0547985592

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Winner of the National Jewish Book Award: A “gorgeous, rueful collection of eight linked stories” capturing the collective dreams of Israel in the 1950s (Chicago Tribune). These eight interconnected stories, set in the fictitious Kibbutz Yekhat, draw masterful profiles of idealistic men and women enduring personal hardships in the shadow of one of the greatest collective dreams of the twentieth century. A devoted father who fails to challenge his daughter’s lover, an old friend, a man his own age; an elderly gardener who carries on his shoulders the sorrows of the world; a woman writing perversely poignant letters to her husband’s mistress. Each of these stories is a luminous human and literary study; together they offer an eloquent portrait of an idea, and of a charged and fascinating epoch. Award-winning writer Amos Oz, who spent three decades living on a kibbutz, is at home and at his best in this “lucid and heartbreaking” award-winning collection (The Guardian). “Oz lifts the veil on kibbutz existence without palaver. His pinpoint descriptions are pared to perfection . . . His people twitch with life.” —The Scotsman “A collection of stories . . . that boasts the sense, scope and unity of a novel . . . Breathtaking.” —Irish Examiner “A complex and melancholic vision of people struggling to transcend their individuality for the sake of mundanely idealist goals.” —The Times Literary Supplement

Lessons from Oz
Lessons from Oz

Author: Julienne LaFleur

Publisher: Flower Tree Press

Published: 2008-10-25

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 9780977688203

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"Lessons from Oz" recaptures the magic of the film "The Wizard of Oz" while pondering life and illuminating over 35 lessons that we, as grown-ups tend to forget. Some are whimsical, some are serious, and like "Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," this book will reconnect the reader to the important things in life. With an eye-catching ruby slipper sparkle cover, 19 classic images from the movie, and fanciful color pages throughout, you can certainly tell this book by its cover and design, that complement this imaginative perspective on the most popular movie of all time.

The Road to Wicked
The Road to Wicked

Author: Kent Drummond

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-07-24

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 3319931067

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The Road to Wicked examines the long life of the Oz myth. It is both a study in cultural sustainability— the capacity of artists, narratives, art forms, and genres to remain viable over time—and an examination of the marketing machinery and consumption patterns that make such sustainability possible. Drawing on the fields of macromarketing, consumer behavior, literary and cultural studies, and theories of adaption and remediation, the authors examine key adaptations and extensions of Baum’s 1900 novel. These include the original Oz craze, the MGM film and its television afterlife, Wicked and its extensions, and Oz the Great and Powerful—Disney’s recent (and highly lucrative) venture that builds on the considerable success of Wicked. At the end of the book, the authors offer a foundational framework for a new theory of cultural sustainability and propose a set of explanatory conditions under which any artistic experience might achieve it.

Welcome to Oz 2.0
Welcome to Oz 2.0

Author: Vincent Versace

Publisher: Pearson Education

Published: 2010-12-07

Total Pages: 1046

ISBN-13: 0132118742

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Creating memorable photographs is a process that starts before you edit an image in Photoshop, before you capture the image, even before you pick up the camera. You must first approach the subject with the proper sense of perception, with the ability to visualize the finished print before you commit a scene to pixels, but still be flexible and spontaneous. Master fine art photographer Vincent Versace has spent his career learning and teaching the art of perception and how to translate it into stunning images. In Welcome to Oz 2.0 — a completely rewritten update of the book’s first edition — he delves into what it means to approach digital photography cinematically, to use your perception, your camera, and Photoshop to capture the movement of life in a still image. Adapt your workflow to the image so you always know how best to use your tools Turn a seemingly impossible photograph scenario into a successful image Practice “image harvesting” to combine the best parts of many captures to create an optimum final result Discover the importance of bokeh — not only how to use it in order to control how the eye travels and sees an image, but also how to realistically create it in post-processing Foreword by Bert Monroy Afterwords by Jay Maisel and David duChemin Includes free software downloads from onOne and Nik worth $250, as well as customized presets for the Wacom Cintiq and Intuos tablets!

The Sea Fairies
The Sea Fairies

Author: L. Frank Baum

Publisher: The Floating Press

Published: 2011-05-01

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1775452581

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This delightful underwater fantasia from Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum is sure to enthrall younger readers -- and any parents or grandparents who happen to come along for the ride. A little girl named Mayre Griffiths wishes desperately to catch a glimpse of a mermaid. Not only is her wish granted, but she is also invited to pay a visit to the enchanted kingdom of these beautiful creatures.

Paradox in Oz
Paradox in Oz

Author: Edward Arthur Einhorn

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781929527014

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"...A delightful novel, well written, very much in the mood of Baum's original series, illustrations & all."--Piers Anthony, author of the Xanth Series. "A satisfying synthesis of Baum's classic style & Einhorn's modern, joyfully inventive excursions into the absurd."--Arthur Kopit, playwright. "Paradox in Oz" by Edward Einhorn is a sequel to Baum's Oz series, honoring the 100th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz," appropriate for all ages & beautifully illustrated by Eric Shanower. Watch out, Harry Potter!--here comes "Paradox in Oz," a stupendous, full-length fantasy brimming with magic & time travel. Ozma, girl ruler of Oz, must restore the enchantment that keeps her people young. A lovable but puzzling Parrot-Ox carries Ozma back through time to seek the source of the enchantment. Ozma meets strange versions of her closest friends in an alternate timestream--Glinda, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion, even Ozma herself! Readers will thrill with amazement as Ozma uncovers the final jaw-dropping secret. This book ends with a bang!