An Interpretation Of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz From The Perspective Of Feminist Utopia

Lyman Frank Baum is one of the accomplished children's writers in modern American literature. Baum breaks the traditional writing mode of fairy tales, showing the children and adults a romantic, colorful and free society. He is best remembered for his novel about Dorothy's fantastic adventure in the Land of Oz, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. As a superior children's writer, Lyman Frank Baum published more than sixty children's books in his life. Among them the fourteen sequels of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz still appeal to the young readers today, which are well sold till now. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. Since its publication, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has appeared in numerous editions in different languages. This novel has been adapted to the musicals and films for several times, among which the MGM film in 1939 is best remembered.Since the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, many scholars have interpreted it from different perspectives. The scholars like feminists, economists, political scientists and psychologists have all interpreted this novel in terms of their particular views, including the characters, themes, social context and political implications. But according to the research, no one has given a systematic research on it from the perspective of feminist utopia. Therefore, this thesis aims at exploring the feminist utopian thinking through a careful study of the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in order to bring an all-new perspective of reinterpretation and appreciation of this classic work.This thesis intends to interpret The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the light of feminist utopian theories.The thesis is divided into five parts as follows:"Introduction"presents a brief biography of Lyman Frank Baum and a brief introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Then, it briefly introduces the critical reviews on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Chapter One"Utopia and Feminism"gives a brief introduction to utopia, feminist utopia and the common concern shared by feminism and utopia. This chapter serves as a theoretical basis for the further discussion. Then it shows the possibilities of analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the light of feminist utopia.Chapter Two"Female Destiny in the Actual Society", first of all, comments on the two female characters in the actual society, and then interprets Dorothy's helplessness after her awakening and her helpless escape from the actual life.Chapter Three"An Ideal Female Society—Oz"discusses the characters and the communal setting. By exploring Dorothy's transformation from questing for an ideal home to returning to the real home, this chapter emphasizes female's desire for self, harmonious life and home."Conclusion"summarizes the thesis by emphasizing the significance of using the feminist utopian theories to interpret The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. By exploring the imperfection of the feminist utopia, this chapter also emphasizes the limitations of Lyman Frank Baum as a male writer.