(All works have subtext. I have also read where some of Baum's work reflected the widespread prejudice against Native Americans in turn of the Century America.)
--- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "maidmarian_thepoet" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > So, I am reading a review of "The Tin Man" in my local paper. The > article is actually from the NY Times, so I guess that you can find it > there. And I run up against the following: > > "Baum said that he sought simply to produce a modern fairy tale, but > his symbolism was hardly subtle. The novel came to be understood as an > allegory for debates about turn-of-the-century monetary policy > stemming from outrage over the subjugation of agricultural interests > to the imperialism of bankers on the East Coast. (In the book, unlike > in the 1939 film, Dorothy's shoes are made of silver, not rubies. The > notion of silver shoes ambling on a yellow brick road is thought to > stand for Baum's advocacy of bimetallism, a shift from the gold > standard that would have given farmers access to cheaper money.)" > > Now, I've come to love literary criticism. Reading Torah commentaries > uses the same muscles. As I exercise one, I exercise the other. But > HUH? "The Wizard of Oz" was about monetary policy? > > Do we have some degreed folks here who can explain that one to me? I > am very confused. And this from a person who loves "Was"--Ryman's > rewrite of the OZ story. >
