Chapter 20 - 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 20 the Dainty China Country While the woodman was making a ladder from wood which he found in the forest, Dorothy lay down and slept, for she was tired by the long walk. The lion also curled himself up to sleep, and Toto lay beside him. The scarecrow watched the woodman while he worked and said to him, I cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of. Rest your brains and do not worry about the wall, replied the woodman. When we have climbed over it, we shall know what is on the other side.

After a time the ladder was finished. It looked clumsy, but the tin woodman was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. The scarecrow waked Dorothy and the lion and Toto and told them that the ladder was ready. The scarecrow climbed up the ladder first, but he was so awkward that Dorothy had to follow close behind and keep him from falling off. When he got his head over the top of the wall, the scarecrow said, oh my. Go on. Exclaimed Dorothy. So the scarecrow climbed farther up and sat down on top of the wall, and Dorothy put her head over and cried, oh my. Just as the scarecrow had done. Then Toto came up and immediately began to bark, but Dorothy made him be still. The lion climbed the ladder next, and the tin woodman came last, but both of them cried, oh my. Oh my. As soon as they looked over the wall. When they were all sitting in a row on top of the wall, they looked down and saw a strange sight. Before them was a great stretch of country, having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered around were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest colors. These houses were quite small, the biggest of them reaching only as high as Dorothy's waist. There were also pretty little barns with china fences around them, and many cows and sheep and horses and pigs and chickens, all made of china or standing about in groups. But the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queer country. There were milkmaids and shepherdesses with brightly colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns, and princesses with the most gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple, and shepherds dressed in knee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them and golden buckles on their shoes, and princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets, and funny clowns in ruffled gowns with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall pointed caps. And strangest of all the these people were all made of China even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than Dorothy's knee. No one did so much as look at the travelers at first, except one little purple China dog with an extra large head, which came to the wall and barked at them in a tiny voice, afterwards running away again. How shall we get down? Asked Dorothy. They found the ladder so heavy they could not pull it up, so the scarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him so that the hard floor would not hurt their feet. Of course they took pains not to light on his head and get the pins in their feet.

When all were safely down, they picked up the scarecrow, whose body was quite flattened out, and patted his straw into shape again.

We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side, said Dorothy, for it would be unwise for us to go any other way except due south. They began walking through the country of the China people, and the first thing they came to was a China milkmaid milking a China cow. As they drew near, the cow suddenly gave a kick and kicked over the stool, the pail, and even the milkmaid herself, and all fell on the china ground with a great clatter. Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg off and that the pail was lying in several small pieces while the poor milkmaid had a nick in her left elbow. There. Cried the milkmaid angrily. See what you have done. My cow has broken her leg and I must take her to the mender's shop and have it glued on again. What do you mean by coming here and frightening my cow? I'm very sorry, returned Dorothy. Please forgive us. But the pretty milkmaid was much too vexed to make any answer. She picked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animal limping on three legs as she left them. The milkmaid cast many reproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nicked elbow close to her side. Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap. We must be very careful here, said the kind hearted woodman, or we may hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it. A little farther on, Dorothy met a most beautifully dressed young princess who Stopped short as she saw the strangers and started to run away. Dorothy wanted to see more of the princess, so she ran after her. But the china girl cried out, don't chase me. Don't chase me. She had such a frightened little voice that Dorothy stopped and said, why not? Because. Answered the princess, also stopping a safe distance away, if I run, I may fall down and break myself. But could you not be mended? Asked the little girl. Oh, yes, but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know, replied the princess. I suppose not, said Dorothy. Now there is Mr. Joker, one of our clowns, continued the china lady, who was always trying to stand upon his head. He has broken himself so often that he is mended in a hundred places and doesn't look at all pretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for yourself. Indeed, a jolly little clown came walking toward them, and Dorothy could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and yellow and green, he was completely covered with cracks. Running every which way and showing plainly that he had been mended in many places. The clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out his cheeks and nodding his head at them saucily, he said, my lady fair, why do you stare at poor old Mr. Joker? You're quite as stiff and prim as if you'd eaten up a poker. Be quiet, sir, said the princess. Can't you see these are strangers and should be treated with respect? Well, that's respect, I expect, declared the clown, and immediately stood upon his head. Don't mind Mr. Joker, said the princess to Dorothy. He is considerably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish.

Oh, I don't mind him a bit, said Dorothy. But you are so beautiful, she continued, that I am sure I could love you dearly. Won't you let me carry you back to Kansas and stand you on Aunt Em's mantle? I could carry you in my basket. That would make me very unhappy, answered the china princess. You see, here in our country we live contentedly and can talk and move around as we please, but whenever any of us are taken away, our joints at once stiffen and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Of course, that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantels and cabinets and drawing room tables. But our lives are much pleasanter here in our own country. I would not make you unhappy for all the world. Exclaimed Dorothy. So I'll just say goodbye. Goodbye. Replied the princess. They walked carefully through the China country. The little animals and all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangers would break them, and after an hour or so, the travelers reached the other side of the country and came to another China wall. It was not so high as the first, however, and by standing upon the lion's back, they all managed to scramble to the top. Then the lion gathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall. But just as he jumped, he upset a China church with his tail and smashed it all to pieces.

That was too bad, said Dorothy. But I really think we were lucky in not doing these little people more harm than breaking a cow's leg and a church. They are all so brittle. They are indeed, said the Scarecrow, and I am thankful. I am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in the world than being a scarecrow.

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. Question 1 what are the characters literally doing? That is what are their micro on the ground actions? The group proceeds into a magical world made up of beings made of China and accidentally causes damage.

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 group is doing their best to respect the environment and be gracious guests. Question 3 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 storygrid 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 the 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. Despite the group's care, their presence causes damage to the China world. The value shifts from innocent to guilty. 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 group makes their way through a magical world filled with beings made of China and accidentally disturbs it. Now let's examine how the scene abides the Five Commandments of Storytelling. What's the inciting incident? Answer Dorothy and the crew climb over a ladder into a China land. What's the turning point? Progressive complication? Answer Dorothy frightens a China cow and it breaks its leg. What's the crisis? Answer it's an irreconcilable goods choice. If the team does not get through the China land, they will not meet Glinda. The longer they are there, the worse it is for the China citizens. What's the climax? Answer the crew presses forward on their own agenda. What's the resolution?

The China world is damaged. Thanks for listening and please join Dorothy, Todo 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.