In the following essay, Hudlin argues that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz follows the structure of Joseph Campbell's heroic myth.
L. Frank Baum's masterpiece, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has been the subject of psychoanalytical, sociological, political, and even economic analyses. Few critics, however, have attempted to examine it from a truly mythological or philosophical perspective. Lacking such a perspective, some critics have found Baum's writings too episodic, while others have been more concerned with what Oz reveals about Baum himself, than with the aesthetic dimensions of the story qua story. While these psycho-social aspects are important, they do not demonstrate how the incidents of the story contribute to its unity, binding it together and driving the plot forward. They do not explain why the book provides such satisfaction to readers of all ages......
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