The Emerald City of Oz
Dorothy brings her family to Oz as the Nome King plans invasion.
The Emerald City of Oz is the sixth book in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, originally published on July 20, 1910. It marks the first time Baum used double plots in an Oz book, and he initially intended it to be the final Oz story. The novel brings Dorothy Gale and her aunt and uncle to live permanently in Oz while the Nome King plots an invasion.
Quick Facts
- Author
- L. Frank Baum
- Illustrator
- John R. Neill
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Series
- The Oz Books
- Genre
- Children's novel
- Publisher
- Reilly & Britton
- Released
- 1910
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
Dorothy Gale often speaks of her adventures in Oz to her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, who dismiss her stories as dreams, recalling that her mother had been a dreamer. The cyclone that destroyed their farmhouse in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz left Uncle Henry in debt, and he has taken out a mortgage on the farm; if he cannot repay his creditors, the family will lose their home. Worried for Dorothy's future, the couple confide in her, and she arranges with Princess Ozma to bring them to Oz permanently. Using the Magic Belt, captured from the Nome King Roquat, Ozma transports them to her throne room, where they receive rooms, luxuries, and a vast wardrobe, and meet old friends like the Cowardly Lion and Billina the Yellow Hen. Meanwhile, in the underground Nome Kingdom, King Roquat plots to conquer Oz and recover his magic belt. General Blug suggests digging a tunnel under the Deadly Desert, but after Blug refuses to attack due to Ozma's powers, he is expelled; Colonel Crinkle, who also refuses, is sliced thin in a torture chamber and fed to Seven-Headed Dogs. The veteran soldier Guph advises Roquat that the Nome Army cannot defeat Oz's magicians alone, so he sets out to recruit allies from other parts of Nonestica. Dorothy, the Wizard of Oz, and other friends depart the Emerald City in a carriage drawn by the Wooden Sawhorse to give her aunt and uncle a tour.
Commentary
The Emerald City of Oz provides more detail on the social organization of Oz than earlier books, drawing commentary on its Utopian aspects. Its explicitly socialist economy has been contrasted with other fantasy projections of socialist societies, such as Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward and William Morris's News from Nowhere, though Baum himself notes that such an arrangement might not be practical in the real world. Strong similarities also exist between this book and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1915 feminist utopia Herland; Gilman, like Baum, was a newspaper editor who used her publication for social reform. The literary connection is thought to be Matilda Joslyn Gage, a women's rights activist and the mother of Baum's wife, Maud Gage Baum. Sally Roesch Wagner of The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation published The Wonderful Mother of Oz, describing how Gage's feminist politics were channeled into the Oz books. Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Son of a Witch, writes that The Emerald City of Oz is suffused with an elegiac quality, comparing its tone to The Last Battle, the final volume of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. The Forbidden Fountain introduced in this book recurs in later works by Baum and his successors, including The Magic of Oz, The Forbidden Fountain of Oz, The Wicked Witch of Oz, and Paradox in Oz.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published The Emerald City of Oz?
The Emerald City of Oz was published by Reilly & Britton.
Who illustrated The Emerald City of Oz?
The Emerald City of Oz was illustrated by John R. Neill.
How many pages is The Emerald City of Oz?
The Emerald City of Oz has 296 pages.
Which book follows The Emerald City of Oz?
The Emerald City of Oz is followed by The Patchwork Girl of Oz.
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