Chapter 16 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Masterwork Analysis

Hello and welcome to the StoryGrid Masterwork Podcast. We're part of a growing StoryGrid community that includes thousands of writers and editors from all over the world. We're dedicated to helping writers improve their craft through books, podcasts, courses, and online forums. In this StoryGrid Masterwork podcast, we'll be reading and analyzing great books to learn what makes them work so well. I'm your host, Bib Bailey. This season, we're reading the Wonderful wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's classic novel about a young girl's heroic journey. In each episode, I'll read you one of the book's 24 scenes and then we'll analyze the scene using storygrid tools and methods in order to understand how and why this story endures and still captivates readers more than a century after it was written. Editor and publisher Sean Coyne developed StoryGrid during 30 years in the storytelling business. He's applied his knowledge to dozens of best selling fiction and nonfiction stories and now shares what he's learned in the StoryGrid community. You'll find a full introduction to StoryGrid's method of analyzing scenes in the first episode of this series. Now let's review how we'll analyze today's scene. If you're already familiar with StoryGrid, you can skip ahead 1 minute 40 seconds to start listening to the scene. We use five first principles to analyze any story. First, we look at a story both as a whole and in smaller parts. In this podcast, we'll dissect the Wonderful wizard of Oz in parts, scene by scene. Second, we look for a change inside the world of the story, because all stories are about change. Third, we figure out how the change is linked to a universal human value such as safety, love, or justice. Fourth, we sum up the change in that human value in a single sentence called a story event. To find the story event, we ask four Socratic questions. These questions help us see what's actually happening in the scene, what the character's essential tactics are, and how they connect to the universal human value at stake. Fifth, when we know our story event, we look at how the scene is constructed by using what we call the the five commandments of storytelling. The five commandments we'll find in each scene of the Wonderful wizard of Oz the inciting incident, which kicks off the action. The turning point Progressive complication, An unexpected event that turns the human value at stake in the scene and gives rise to the crisis, which is a dilemma about how to confront the unexpected event. The climax which is the decision and action a character takes in response to the crisis, the resolution which is the outcome of the action of the climax. Now let's step onto the Yellow Brick road with Dorothy and listen to this week's scene and analysis.

The Wonderful wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Scene 16 the Magic Art of the Great Humbug.

Next morning the Scarecrow said to his friends, congratulate me. I'm going to Oz to get my brains at last. When I return, I shall be as other men are.

I have always liked you as you were, said Dorothy simply. It is kind of you to like a scarecrow, he replied, but surely you will think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brain is going to turn out. Then he said goodbye to them all in a cheerful voice and went to the throne room, where he rapped upon the door. Come in, said Oz. The scarecrow went in and found the little man sitting down by the window, engaged in deep thought. I have come from my brains, remarked the scarecrow a little uneasily. Oh, yes, sit down in that chair, please, replied Oz. You must excuse me for taking your head off, but I shall have to do it in order to put your brains in their proper place. That's all right, said the scarecrow. You are quite welcome to take my head off, as long as there will be a better one when you put it on again. So the wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw. Then he entered the back room and took up a measure of bran, which he mixed with a great many pins and needles. Having shaken them together thoroughly, he he filled the top of the scarecrow's head with the mixture and stuffed the rest of the space with straw to hold it in place. When he had fastened the scarecrow's head on his body again, he said to him, hereafter you will be a great man, for I have given you a lot of brand new brains. The scarecrow was both pleased and proud at the fulfillment of his greatest wish, and having thanked Oz warmly, he went back to his friends. Dorothy looked at him curiously. His head was quite bulged out at the top with brains. How do you feel? She asked. I feel wise indeed, he answered earnestly. When I get used to my brains, I shall know everything. Why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head? Asked the tin woodman. That is proof that he is sharp, remarked the lion. Well, I must go to Oz and get my heart, said the woodman. So he walked to the throne room and knocked at the door. Come in, called Oz and the woodman entered and said, I have come for my heart. Very well, answered the little man, but I shall have to cut a hole in your breast so I can put your heart in the right place. I hope it won't hurt you. Oh, no, answered the woodman, I shall not feel it at all. So Oz brought a pair of tinsmith's shears and cut a small square hole in the left side of the tin woodman's breast. Then, going to a chest of drawers, he took out a pretty heart made entirely of silk and stuffed with sawdust. Isn't it a beauty? He asked. It is indeed, replied the woodman, who was greatly pleased. But is it a kind heart? Oh, very, answered Oz. He put the heart in the woodman's breast and then replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where it had been cut. There, said he, now you have a heart that any man might be proud of. I'm sorry I had to put a patch on your breast, but it really couldn't be helped. Never mind the patch. Exclaimed the happy woodman. I'm very grateful to you and shall never forget your kindness. Don't speak of it, replied Oz.

Then the tin woodman went back to his friends, who wished him every joy on account of his good fortune. The lion now walked to the throne room and knocked at the door. Come in, said Oz. I have come for my courage, announced the lion, entering the room. Very well, answered the little man. I will get it for you. He went to a cupboard and, reaching up to a high shelf, took down a square green bottle, the contents of which he poured into a green gold dish, beautifully carved. Placing this before the cowardly lion, who sniffed at it as he did not like it, the wizard said, drink. What is it? Asked the lion. Well, answered Oz, if it were inside of you, it would be courage. You know, of course, that courage is always inside one, so that this really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it. Therefore, I advise you to drink it as soon as possible. The lion hesitated no longer, but drank till the dish was empty. How do you feel now? Asked Oz. Full of courage, replied the lion, who went joyfully back to his friends to tell them of his good fortune.

Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving the scarecrow and the tin woodman and the lion exactly what they thought they wanted.

How can I help being a humbug? He said, when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done? It was easy to make the scarecrow and the lion and the Woodman happy because they imagined I could do anything. But it will take more than imagination to carry Dorothy back to Kansas, and I'm sure I don't know how it can be done.

Now let's use StoryGrid first principles to analyze the scene. A story event is an active change of a universal human value for one or more characters. As a result of conflict, one character's desires clash with another's or an environmental shift changes the value positively or negatively. A working scene contains at least one story event to determine a scene story event each answer these four Socratic questions. Question number one what are the characters literally doing? That is what are their micro on the ground actions? Answer the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion get their placebo brains, heart and courage. Question number two what is the essential tactic of the characters? That is, what macro behaviors are they employing that are linked to a universal human value?

Knowing that the three characters already possess what they're asking for? Oz humors the scarecrow, tin Woodman and lion with material objects that represent what they already possess?

What universal human values have changed for one or more characters in the scene? Which one of those value changes is most important and should be included in the story grid spreadsheet? Answer when in doubt, the story grid rule of thumb is to highlight the value that best aligns with the progress of the global human value at stake in the story. The Wonderful wizard of Oz is an action story which has a global value at stake of life death. Throughout the story grid spreadsheet, we'll attract the ways life is threatened or enhanced scene by scene. The value shift is clear for the scarecrow, tin Woodman and lion of unsatisfied to satisfied. Question number four what story event sums up the scenes on the ground actions, essential tactics and value change? We will enter that event in the story grid spreadsheet. The scarecrow, the tin Woodman and the Cowardly lion find satisfaction. Now let's examine how the scene abides the five commandments of storytelling. Well, what's the inciting incident? The time has come to meet with Oz for the scarecrow, tin woodman and lion. What's the turning point? Progressive complication. The materials Oz uses to satisfy the scarecrow, tin Woodman and lion are material representations of their desires, not the actual objects desired. What's the crisis? Answer It's a best bad choice if Oz points out that the materials he's using to satisfy the three characters are not real. The effect of the operations will not satisfy them. If he doesn't point out that the gifts are not real, the characters will believe a lie. What's the climax?

Oz promotes the lie. What's the resolution?

The three characters are satisfied. Thanks for listening, and please join Dorothy, Toto and me on the next leg of our fantastic journey. If you're writing or thinking about writing a story about a heroic journey, you'll be interested in Sean Coyne's upcoming online seminar devoted to helping writers understand and use the heroic journey in their own work. It's a macro and micro examination of why these stories speak to us so compellingly and how to use the heroic journey to level up Your writing using StoryGrid specific tools. It includes a trip to the Shire to do a macro analysis of J.R.R. tolkien's the Hobbit, with a few detours to Oz and Emerald City along the way. Go to www.storygrid.comhero to find out more. We'd love to see you there. This has been Bib Bailey for the Story Grid Masterwork podcast. I'll see you next time. My pre.