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librarygurl's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I am a huge Oz fan. I have read the vast majority of the original book series. I have seen the movies over and over through my life. My mother, when she found out I got this book, reminded me about how I use to get excited at the annual viewing of the movie before we got a VCR. I love Wicked and have seen the musical. The six versions of the story are ones I am very familiar with. Add to this that I love academic books that place popular culture in a deeper philosophical or, in this case, anthropological context. My background is religious anthropology. This book was perfect for me.
I really enjoyed this book even though it took a long time for me to get through. My mind just wasn't in the right space for something heavy and academic. I was looking for something lighter. Still, Burger selected some good themes to help readers understand how the Wizard of Oz is American Mythology. She does a wonderful job of explaining how the evolution of each version is an expression of our current values on gender, race, magic, and home. She explains the foundations for her points well. I could easily imaging people taking an American Mythology class reading this book as part of the discussion. I felt like this book was just the tip of the iceberg of something bigger. In order to cover each version she gives just enough to make you want to find out more.
There were some things I felt were missing. First, when she discusses the difference between text and performance she mentions the original Wiz musical theater production. I didn't realize there had been one, but the entire book then focuses on the movie. The movie was the weaker of the two productions. Considering that she considered two versions of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked, I thought two versions of the Wiz would have been a better choice than Tin Man. Tin Man has so many holes and struggles as a story (and she specifically mentions the issue of concluding the story as a huge hole in Tin Man), that I felt it should have been left out.
Would i suggest you read this book? Yes, if you are comfortable with academic texts. This is written for an academic audience. Language is not easy to read if you don't have some foundation in these ideas already. For those who enjoy scholarly works, especially anthropology and popular culture, this will be right up your alley. I would suggest watching Tin Man and The Wiz again (both stream on Netflix) just to make sure you can remember what she is talking about. Read Wicked and the Wizard of Oz too, by all means!
I really enjoyed this book even though it took a long time for me to get through. My mind just wasn't in the right space for something heavy and academic. I was looking for something lighter. Still, Burger selected some good themes to help readers understand how the Wizard of Oz is American Mythology. She does a wonderful job of explaining how the evolution of each version is an expression of our current values on gender, race, magic, and home. She explains the foundations for her points well. I could easily imaging people taking an American Mythology class reading this book as part of the discussion. I felt like this book was just the tip of the iceberg of something bigger. In order to cover each version she gives just enough to make you want to find out more.
There were some things I felt were missing. First, when she discusses the difference between text and performance she mentions the original Wiz musical theater production. I didn't realize there had been one, but the entire book then focuses on the movie. The movie was the weaker of the two productions. Considering that she considered two versions of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked, I thought two versions of the Wiz would have been a better choice than Tin Man. Tin Man has so many holes and struggles as a story (and she specifically mentions the issue of concluding the story as a huge hole in Tin Man), that I felt it should have been left out.
Would i suggest you read this book? Yes, if you are comfortable with academic texts. This is written for an academic audience. Language is not easy to read if you don't have some foundation in these ideas already. For those who enjoy scholarly works, especially anthropology and popular culture, this will be right up your alley. I would suggest watching Tin Man and The Wiz again (both stream on Netflix) just to make sure you can remember what she is talking about. Read Wicked and the Wizard of Oz too, by all means!
eupomene's review against another edition
I hate that I can't mark this DNF or need to finish, or something, instead of "read". I read the first chapter, and decided life was too short & my reading list too long.
I love Oz, and am very familiar with the original book and the MGM film. I also read Wicked long before it became a musical - but I have not seen the musical, nor have I seen The Wiz or Tin Man so already I fall short. In a scholarly work such as this it really helps to be completely familiar with the material. Since I am not, it felt like a slog.
Received my copy from Library Thing's Early Reviewers program.
I love Oz, and am very familiar with the original book and the MGM film. I also read Wicked long before it became a musical - but I have not seen the musical, nor have I seen The Wiz or Tin Man so already I fall short. In a scholarly work such as this it really helps to be completely familiar with the material. Since I am not, it felt like a slog.
Received my copy from Library Thing's Early Reviewers program.
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