Chapter 22 - 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 are 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 22 the country of the Quadlings the four travelers passed through the rest of the forest in safety, and when they came out from its gloom, saw before them a steep hill covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock. That'll be hard to climb, said the scarecrow, but we must get over the hill nevertheless.

So he led the way, and the others followed. They had nearly reached the first rock when they heard a rough voice cry out, keep back. Who are you? Asked the Scarecrow. Then a head showed itself over the rock, and the same voice said, this hill belongs to us, and we don't allow anyone to cross it. But we must cross it, said the scarecrow. We're going to the country of the Quadlings. But you shall not, replied the voice. And there stepped from behind the rock the strangest man the travelers had ever seen. He was quite short and stout and and had a big head which was flat at the top and supported by a thick neck full of wrinkles, but he had no arms at all, and seeing this, the scarecrow did not fear that so helpless a creature could prevent them from climbing the hill. So he said, I'm sorry not to do as you wish, but we must pass over your hill whether you like it or not. And he walked boldly forward.

As quick as lightning. The man's head shot forward and his neck stretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck the scarecrow in the middle and sent him tumbling over and over down the hill. Almost as quickly as it came, the head went back to the body, and the man laughed harshly as he said, it isn't as easy as you think. A chorus of boisterous laughter came from the other rocks, and Dorothy saw hundreds of the armless hammerheads upon the hillside, one behind every rock. The lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the scarecrow's mishap, and giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed up the hill again. A head shot swiftly out, and the great lion went rolling down the hill as if he had been struck by a cannonball. Dorothy ran down and helped the scarecrow.

To his feet, and the lion came.

Up to her, feeling rather bruised and sore, and said, it is useless to fight people with shooting heads. No one can withstand Them. What can we do then? She asked. Call the winged monkeys, suggested the tin woodman. You have still the right to command them once more. Very well, she answered, and putting on the golden cap, she uttered the magic words. The monkeys were as prompt as ever, and in a few moments the entire band stood before her.

What are your commands?

Inquired the king of the monkeys, bowing low. Carry us over the hill to the country of the Quadlings, answered the girl.

It shall be done, said the king.

And at once the winged monkeys caught the four travelers and Tauto up in their arms and flew away with them. As they passed over the hill, the hammerheads yelled with vexation and shot their heads high in the air, but they could not reach the winged monkeys, which carried Dorothy and her comrades safely over the hill and set them down in the beautiful country of the Quadlings.

This is the last time you can.

Summon us, said the leader to Dorothy.

So goodbye and good luck to you.

Goodbye, and thank you very much, returned the girl, and the monkeys rose into the air and were out of sight in a twinkling. The country of the Quadlings seemed rich and happy. There was field upon field of ripening grain, with well paved roads running between, and pretty rippling brooks with strong bridges across them. The fences and houses and bridges were all painted bright red, just as they had been painted yellow in the country of the winkies and blue in the country of the Munchkins. The Quadlings themselves, who were short and fat and looked chubby and good natured, were dressed all in red, which showed bright against the green grass and the yellowing grain. The monkeys had set them down near a farmhouse, and the four travelers walked up to it and knocked at the door. It was opened by the farmer's wife, and when Dorothy asked for something to eat, the woman gave them all a good dinner, with three kinds of cake and four kinds of cookies and a bowl of milk for Toto. How far is it to the castle of Glinda? Asked the child. It is not a great way, answered the farmer's wife. Take the road to the south and you will soon reach it. Thanking the good woman, they started afresh and walked by the fields and across the pretty bridges until they saw before them a very beautiful castle. Before the gates were three young girls dressed in handsome red uniforms trimmed with gold braid, and as Dorothy approached, one of them said to her, why have you come to the south country? To see the Good Witch who rules here? She answered. Will you take me to her? Let me have your name, and I will ask Glinda if she will receive you. They told who they were and the girl soldier went into the castle. After a few moments, she came back to say that Dorothy and the others were to be admitted at once.

Now let's use StoryGrid first principles to analyze the scene. A story event is an act of 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 number one. What are the characters literally doing? That is, what are their micro on the ground actions? The group contends with the armless beings guarding a rock face and blocking them from passage into Glinda's territory. They call the winged monkeys and eventually reach their destination. 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 answer? The group is a formidable problem solving force, overcoming obstacles that drop into their lives with unexpected force. Question number three. 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 storygrid 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 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 clear stymied to successful.

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.

The winged monkeys fly the group over the hammerhead rock pile and into Glinda the Good Witch's domain. Now let's examine how the scene abides the five commandments of storytelling. What's the inciting incident?

The group comes to a tall rock wall guarded by hammerheads. What's the turning point? Progressive complication. The hammerheads cannot be beaten on the hill. What's the crisis? It's a best bad choice. If the crew doesn't outmaneuver the hammerheads, Dorothy will never make it to Kansas. But to fight them will prove fruitless. What's the climax?

Dorothy calls in her last wish from the winged monkeys. What's the resolution? The crew makes it over the Rock Hill and to the land of Glinda the Good Witch. 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.

Story Grid 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.