The Istoriaphile’s Corner

Mythology is a fascinating subject.  The elders of every culture create stories that explains their view of the world to themselves.  They pass those views and stories on to their descendents and the children incorporate or revise those stories to suit their own world view.  An observant human can trace the changes of a civilization by reviewing the variations in a myth.  As cultures go, the American one is still fairly young and versatile but there are a few stories that have lodged in our national psyche and show signs of becoming a cultural touchstone.  One of the strongest is the children’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Wonderful Wizard is about 114 years old now and has attained a level of popularity that Harry Potter only dreams about.  Between the author and his publishers, more than 40 sequels of the original story were published and another fifty or so accompanying and revisionist novels or comic books have been added to that list.  There are a dozen and a half movie adaptations, about two dozen stage productions and enough material referencing Dorothy Gale’s adventures to sink the Emerald City.  Every generation since its birth has reviewed, amended, attacked and…