Witches and Oz

In case you missed it earlier this week, the ineffable J.L. Bell had a recent piece on a little known Frank L. Baum short story entitled The Witchcraft of Mary-Marie. What is most striking and memorable about this tale is that in it Baum seems to be responding to those Christian critics that view any literary representation of a "witch" to be a work of evil. About the time you hear little Mary-Marie say, "And they sell their souls to Satan, in return for a knowledge of witchcraft", you could be listening to contemporary Harry Potter haters. Do yourself a favor and eye this treat for yourself.

Or, if you've the time, you might wish to visit my friend Dan's fake Wizard of Oz DVD extras and factoids. My favorite? "Frank L. Baum’s original book was an allegory of the 1890’s switch to the gold standard, although, surprisingly, his book William Jennings Bryan the Fat Pink Dragon was meant to be read straight."