“Like You Could Read What Was Inside of Me”: Genocide, Hermeneutics, and Religion in <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>

Derry, Ken

doi:10.3138/jrpc.26.3.293

The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture

2014

DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.26.3.293

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“Like You Could Read What Was Inside of Me”: Genocide, Hermeneutics, and Religion in The Wizard of Oz

Ken Derry

Abstract: Ten years before he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum produced two editorials calling for the death of all Native American people. These editorials have affected how both Baum’s novel and its 1939 MGM adaptation are interpreted. For some, the tale is a utopian vision that vindicates its author, while for others it clearly embodies Baum’s genocidal impulses. This essay explores this hermeneutical issue, arguing that The Wizard of Oz—like “religion” itself—can support opposing interpretations becau… Show more

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Cited by 2 publications

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Messing Around with Introductory Religion Courses in Canada

Derry

2019

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This is a story about the challenges and virtues of messiness for scholarship and teaching in academia generally, and Religious Studies in particular. It begins when I was first hired to teach Introduction to the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto Mississauga. It continues with a discussion of research into how introductory religion courses are taught in Canada, and reflection on that research – which includes examples of student learning from a world religions summer course I have taught in Hong Kong since 2012. It ends with a consideration of the ways in which messiness has been a key component of Michel Desjardins’ own scholarship and teaching.

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Messing Around with Introductory Religion Courses in Canada

Derry

2019

RST

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Essence of Objects in Lyman Frank Baum’s Tales

Tytun

Derkachova

2022

LITERARY PROCESS

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The article deals with the research on the essence of objects in children’s literature (on the book "American Tales" by L.F. Baum). The daily routine is skillfully combined with fairy-tale mood, it becomes possible due to the characters and the objects in these tales. The article describes the possible functions of objects in fiction, in particular, in a literary tale. The main attention is paid to the definition of functions performed by objects in the given fairy tales and the role of magic and magical objects in these works because the presence of magic objects in the text is one of the markers of fairy tales as a genre. Objects are defined as one of the important components of fairy tales. In addition to magical objects, fairy tales contain ordinary household items that perform the functions of various markers: create a background, describe the scene, characterize the characters of the epoch or place of action. An important role is played by the revival of objects, as well as the transformation of objects from ordinary to magical (a chest, book, pump, glass dog, and mannequin). Putting spells on objects is an important part of Baum's fairy tales. Revival is Baum’s favorite fairy-tale technique. In his works time, toys, mannequins, and stuffed birds come to life. This is done with the help of spells performed by wizards or gnomes. Objects in these tales serve as markers of his epoch. The author writes how and what the children played, focuses on the elements of interior design, the activities of the characters, as well as the fashion of that time. In most cases, such objects belong to the era of the author, without duplicating the folk tale tradition of magical objects. We conclude that the essence of objects in analyzed works is represented as follows: everyday objects that characterize the epoch, place of residence of the characters, daily habits; magical objects, the origin of which is not always known, and their magical power is often discovered by chance; objects that turn from ordinary to magical under the influence of magic. Thanks to the objects, a reader gets the opportunity to get additional characteristics of the characters, the idea of the world where the characters exist, and the characters’ (in) ability to use certain things influence the plot of fairy tales.

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“Like You Could Read What Was Inside of Me”: Genocide, Hermeneutics, and Religion in The Wizard of Oz

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

Messing Around with Introductory Religion Courses in Canada

Messing Around with Introductory Religion Courses in Canada

Essence of Objects in Lyman Frank Baum’s Tales

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