Oz 2014 page 2

Oz 2014 page 2 by ric gustafson


Lyman Frank Baum was born in 1856. He wrote a story between the spring of 1898 and the fall of 1899. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900 and was an instant hit. Baum began writing for children later in life when he was in his forties. Before that, he tried various jobs including a chicken breeder, actor, newspaper man and a china salesman. Because of his failures doing other things, he was surprised at the success of the book. He went on to write thirteen sequels as well as fifty other children books under different names.
People have tried over the years to speculate how ideas for Oz came to Baum. It is possible that events and things in Baum's life at the time might have influenced his writing of Oz. Death was a theme in Baum's story and that was prevalent in Baum's own life. Four of Baum's siblings died in infancy and ten of his cousins. One of Baum's nieces, Dorothy Gage died in 1898 while he was writing the story. Growing up in upstate New York, Baum was surrounded by farmland and woods. As a child, he had a recurring nightmare that a wild scarecrow was chasing him. In 1988, his family moved to Aberdeen Dakota Territory. Being surrounded by homesteads out on the Great Plains could have been the inspiration for the Kansas homestead of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. In 1890, a huge tornado caused major damage in Aberdeen and could have influenced the tornado in Baum's story. Baum moved to Chicago right before the 1893 Chicago's World Fair. A group of white buildings called the White City lighted the area with bright light. The buildings turned out to be fake and were only made of plaster and cement not marble. This combination of beauty and fake could have influenced the idea of the Emerald City.
Next, we will take a look at the Munchkins.


research help: ' The Wizard of Oz' by I-5 Publishing


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric