Ready to follow the yellow brick road once again as the world welcomes a new installment of one of the most beloved stories in American history.
“Wicked,” the highly anticipated movie, just hit theaters! It’s based on a novel by the same name by Gregory Maguire, which is based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” City Lights producer Summer Evans decided to unpack the many layers of this magical and enduring tale with professor Paige Gray, an expert in children’s literature from SCAD University.
Baum’s Oz “really is the the American fairy tale,” says Gray on the legacy of the imaginary city. “Fairy tales are just these stories that have been circulating for [generations], and with every [new] generation, they reinvent themselves to reflect and work through whatever’s happening in culture at that time.”
The story was published during the so-called “golden age” of children’s literature, which lasted from roughly 1865 to 1926, and the tale has now embedded itself into American culture.
Baum and Evans further explore the cultural impact of the tale, Baum’s philosophy on writing for children and feminism, and more.
