The Melting - My Story (continued)

As I started to grow older, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ became more and more irrelevant to me. It was for children. It is a children’s modern fairy tale. I was getting older and other things became apparent with my life. However, I still went to see it at the theatre and still listened to its songs and score. It was when I got older I started looking at the political interpretations of the story and film. L. Frank Baum and W. W. Denslow were both actively involved in the politics of the USA in 1890s. Many scholars have suggested that Oz is a metaphor of political, economic and social events of America of the 1890s. But, L. Frank Baum never stated the story was an allegory for politics although, he never denied the notion.
In the introduction of the Wizard of Oz Baum wrote it was “solely to please children of today.”
The old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

What did Baum mean by a “modernized fairy-tale?”

Besides the state of Kansas, there is nothing to suggest that the book is modern. Unless you focus on the political references inserted cleverly in every chapter. European fairy tales often contained political allegory disguised as a myth or a legend when in times of despotism when people were unable, sometimes even forbidden by law, to speak out about harsh, unfair treatment.
The 1901 musical version of the book, which was for adult audiences, contained numerous explicit references to current politics.

A First Edition

One thing I always wanted, and still want is a first edition copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. However, after searching the internet for a reasonable length of time, it became apparent to me that to have a copy of this book I would end up paying within the region of £50,000. When I had seen this price I decided that I was not going to buy this book as I would be in debt for the rest of my life.
I still had my Oz books, videos, DVDs, CDs and collectables when I really stopped enjoying Oz. It wasn’t until February 2006 when Oz entered my life in a different way thanks to Mrs. Garner, my history teacher.