Chapter 18 - 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 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 18 Away to the South Dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to get home to Kansas again. But when she thought it all over, she was glad she had not gone up in a balloon, and she also felt sorry at losing Oz, and so did her companions. The Tin Woodman came to her and said, truly I should be grateful if I failed to mourn for the man who gave me my lovely heart. I should like to cry a little because Oz is gone, if you will kindly wipe away my tears so that I shall not rust. With pleasure, she answered, and brought a towel at once. Then the Tin Woodman wept for several minutes, and she watched the tears carefully and wiped them away with a towel. When he had finished, he thanked her kindly and oiled himself thoroughly with his jeweled oil can to guard against mishap. The Scarecrow was now the ruler of the Emerald City, and although he was not a wizard, the people were proud of him, for they said, there is not another city in all the world that is ruled by a stuffed man. And so, as far as they knew, they were quite right.

The morning after the balloon had gone up with Oz, the four travelers met in the throne room and talked matters over. The Scarecrow sat in the big throne, and the others stood respectfully before him.

We're not so unlucky, said the new ruler, for this palace and the Emerald City belong to us, and we can do just as we please. When I remember that a short time ago I was up on a pole in a farmer's corn field, and that now I am the ruler of this beautiful city, I'm quite satisfied with my lot.

I also, said the Tin Woodman, am well pleased with my new heart, and really that was the only thing I wished in all the world.

For my part, I'm content in knowing that I am as brave as any beast that ever lived.

If not braver, said the lion modestly.

If Dorothy would only be contented to.

Live in the Emerald City, continued the.

Scarecrow, we might all be happy together.

But I don't want to live here, cried Dorothy. I want to go to Kansas and live with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Well, then, what can be done? Inquired the Woodman. The Scarecrow decided to think, and he thought so hard that the pins and Needles began to stick out of his brains. Finally he said.

Why not call the.

Winged monkeys and ask them to carry you over the desert?

I never thought of that, said Dorothy joyfully. It's just the thing. I'll go at once for the golden cap. When she brought it into the throne room, she spoke the magic words, and soon the band of winged monkeys flew in through the open window and stood beside her.

This is the second time you have.

Called us, said the Monkey King, bowing before the little girl.

What do you wish?

I want you to fly with me to Kansas, said Dorothy. But the Monkey King shook his head.

That cannot be done, he said. We belong to this country alone and cannot leave it. There has never been a winged monkey in Kansas yet, and I suppose there never will be, for they don't belong there. We shall be glad to serve you in any way in our power, but we cannot cross the desert. Goodbye.

And with another bow, the Monkey King spread his wings and flew away through the window, followed by all his band.

Dorothy was ready to cry with disappointment. I have wasted the charm of the golden cap to no purpose, she said, for the winged monkeys cannot help me. It is certainly too bad, said the tender hearted woodman. The Scarecrow was thinking again, and his head bulged out so horribly that Dorothy feared it would burst.

Let us call in a soldier with the green whiskers, he said, and ask his advice.

So the soldier was summoned and entered the throne room timidly, for while Oz was alive, he was never allowed to come farther than the door. This little girl, said the Scarecrow to.

The soldier, wishes to cross the desert. How can she do so?

I cannot tell, answered the soldier, for nobody has ever crossed the desert unless it is Oz himself.

Is there no one who can help me? Asked Dorothy earnestly. Glinda might, he suggested.

Who is Glinda?

Inquired the Scarecrow. The Witch of the South. She is the most powerful of all the witches and rules over the Quadlings. Besides, her castle stands on the edge of the desert, so she may know a way to cross it. Glinda is a good witch, isn't she? Asked the child. The Quadlings think she is good, said the soldier, and she is kind to everyone. I have heard that Glinda is a beautiful woman who knows how to keep young, in spite of the many years she has lived. How can I get to her castle? Asked Dorothy. The road is straight to the south, he answered, but it is said to be full of dangers to travelers. There are wild beasts in the woods and a race of queer men who do not like strangers to cross their country. For this reason, none of the Quadlings ever come to the Emerald City. The soldier then left them, and the.

Scarecrow said, it seems, in spite of the dangers, that the best thing Dorothy can do is to travel to the land of the south and ask Glinda to help her. For of course, if Dorothy stays here, she will never get back to Kansas.

You must have been thinking again, remarked the Tin Woodman.

I have, said the Scarecrow.

I shall go with Dorothy, declared the.

Lion, for I am tired of your city and long for the woods and the country again. I am really a wild beast, you know. Besides, Dorothy will need someone to protect her.

That is true, agreed the Woodman. My axe may be of service to her, so I also will go with her to the land of the South.

When shall we start?

Asked the Scarecrow. Are you going? They asked in surprise.

Certainly. If it wasn't for Dorothy, I should never have had brains. She lifted me from the pole in the cornfield and brought me to the Emerald City. So my good luck is all due to her, and I shall never leave her until she starts back to Kansas for good and all.

Thank you, said Dorothy gratefully. You are all very kind to me, but I should like to start as soon as possible.

We shall go tomorrow morning, returned the Scarecrow. So now let us all get ready, for it will be a long journey.

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's story event, answer these four Socratic questions.

What are the characters literally doing? That is, what are their micro on the ground actions? Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the lion debate how to solve the how to get back to Kansas dilemma. 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? The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the lion are empathetically joining forces to help Dorothy solve her problem.

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.

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 track the ways life is threatened or enhanced scene by scene. The value shift is despair to hope. Question 4 what story event sums up the scene's on the ground actions, essential tactics and value change? We will enter that event in the story grid spreadsheet. After a series of dead end ideas, the group resolves to seek out the help of Glinda the Good Witch and plans to set off again to find her. Now let's examine how the scene abides the five Commandments of Storytelling. What's the inciting incident?

Dorothy is stranded at the Emerald City. What's the turning point? Progressive complication? Glinda the Good Witch is someone worth seeking counsel. What's the crisis? It's a best bad choice. If the team sets off to meet with Glinda the Good Witch, they'll have to confront beasts and other obstacles. If they don't, they'll Dorothy will never get home again. What's the climax? Team agrees to leave the next morning. What's the resolution?

The team makes preparations for their journey. 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 Storygrid Masterwork podcast. I'll see you next time. My prettiest.