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The Historian's Wizard of Oz

Reading L. Frank Baum's Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory

Ranjit S. Dighe

$160

Hardback

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English
Praeger Publishers Inc
30 June 2002
The Historian's Wizard of Oz synthesizes four decades of scholarly interpretations of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel as an allegory of the Gilded Age political economy and a comment on the gold standard. The heart of the book is an annotated version of The Wizard of Oz that highlights the possible political and monetary symbolism in the book by relating characters, settings, and incidents in it to the historical events and figures of the 1890s, the decade in which Baum wrote his story. Dighe simultaneously values the leading political interpretations of Oz as useful and creative teaching tools, and consolidates them in a sympathetic fashion; yet he rejects the commonly held, and by now well-debunked, view that those interpretations reflect Baum's likely motivations in writing the book. The result is a unique way for readers to acquaint themselves with a classic of children's literature that is a bit different and darker than the better-known film version.

Students of history and economics will find two great stories: the dramatic rise and fall of monetary populism and William Jennings Bryan and the original rendering of a childhood story that they know and love. This study draws on several worthy versions of the Oz-as-Populist-parable thesis, but it also separates the reading of Baum's book in this manner from Baum's original intentions. Despite an incongruence with Baum's intent, reading the story as a parable continues to provide a remarkable window into the historical events of the 1890s and, thus, constitutes a tremendous teaching tool for historians, economists, and political scientists. Dighe also includes a primer on gold, silver, and the American monetary system, as well as a brief history of the Populist movement.
By:  
Imprint:   Praeger Publishers Inc
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   Annotated edition
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 14mm
Weight:   437g
ISBN:   9780275974183
ISBN 10:   0275974189
Pages:   184
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  A / AS level ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

RANJIT S. DIGHE is Assistant Professor of Economics at the State University of New York at Oswego. His specialty is American macroeconomic history, and he has written extensively on American labor markets between the world wars.

Reviews for The Historian's Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum's Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory

[e]ven though the story does not really work all that well as an allegory, the allegory works well as a tool for teaching the history. - Science Fiction Studies [a] useful resource for Oz scholars and teachers, with its helpful historical background information, bibliographic references, selection of contemporary images, and excellent overview of academia's Populist-parable theory. - Utopian Studies [A] very useful and engaging book that introduces and explains the context under which Baum's book was written and provides some of the basis for the economic and political interpretations that have emerged over the years. The wonderful Wizard of OZ can be read for pure delight by a child or alternatively can become part of a scholarly debate over the events and significance of economic and public policy- a testimony to the power of words and the importance of metaphors to understanding complex relationships. For students and teachers, for novice and seasoned scholars alike, I heartily recommend Dighe's interesting and entertaining book. - EH.Net book Review Ranjit S. Dighe has written a fine book that will serve both the practical purpose of helping teachers use the Wizard of Oz in the classroom and the scholarly purpose of helping economic historians use the historical reading of the Wizard of Oz. - Journal of Economic History


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