(Read from The Complete Stories of Oz)
Started: January 31, 2022
Finished: February 13, 2022
(This review is written using my new format for book reviews.)
Background Information
Originally published in 1915, this is the 9th book in the Land of Oz series. According to Wikipedia, the plot of this novel was recycled from the silent film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (also written and produced by L. Frank Baum).
This book also marks the introduction of the characters Cap'n Bill and Trot to the Land of Oz series. Previously L. Frank Baum had tried to launch Cap'n Bill and Trot in their own series (The Sea Fairies and Sky Island), but when that series failed to get popular, he decided to just import Cap'n Bill and Trot over to the Land of Oz.
Also, part of this book takes place in the Land of Mo (from another L. Frank Baum book The Magical Monarch of Mo), so this book is one big crossover of L. Frank Baum related material.
Plot (SPOILERS)
Cap'n Bill and Trot (from the Cap'n Bill and Trot series fame) get sucked into a whirlpool while boating on the ocean, and end up in a mysterious underwater cave. And so begins another mysterious journey.
Like most of the Oz books, this is a journey story. The characters journey to strange lands, see strange things, and then move on.
After briefly ending up in the Land of Mo (and having a crossover with another L. Frank Baum book--The Magical Monarch of Mo), they at last make it to the Land of Oz. Kind of. Actually they're in Jinxland, a land which was never mentioned before in any of the other books, but which it turns out is some sort of autonomous kingdom inside the Land of Oz, but cut off from the rest of Oz by high mountains.
Once we get into Jinxland, then the characters stop journeying, and we actually stay in one place for the rest of the book. A plot is actually introduced, which has a protagonist, an antagonist, and eventually a resolution. (I think this is a first for the series.) The plot involves an evil king, a wicked witch, a beautiful princess, a gardener's boy, and a magic spell. The whole thing is very fairy-tale esque.
Oh yeah, and the Scarecrow also shows up--which is where the book gets its title.
Evaluation
I allowed myself to be charmed by the fairy-tale quality of this book.
I say "allowed myself", because in order to enjoy these books, you have to make a conscious choice to switch your brain off. (As much as possible, at least.) Nothing makes any sense at all. Character motivations are paper-thin. All the plot points are resolved by deus ex machina contrivances. And during the whole story, you're constantly thinking to yourself, "But if they had the power to do that all along, why didn't they use it earlier in the story?"
But then, one could make the same criticisms of the stories in The Brothers Grimm. Logic isn't the point of fairy tales. The atmosphere and the imagery is the point. And this book delivers upon plenty of fairy-tale imagery.
According to L. Frank Baum's Wikipedia Bio, he was very much consciously trying to imitate fairy tales in his writing. (And L. Frank Baum himself list The Brothers Grimm as his inspiration for the Oz books in the author's forward.) So if that's the aesthetic that he's deliberately going for, then fair enough I guess.
Links
As always, I'm relying on the analysis of Mari Ness at Tor.com. Her review of this book is entitled: Adventuring into Fairyland: The Scarecrow of Oz
Mari Ness makes a number of interesting observations. To quote briefly from her review:
This second, frequently hilarious plot focuses on the tangled and confused tale of Princess Gloria, rightful heir to Jinxland; her evil uncle King Krewl; Pon the Gardener’s Boy, in love with Gloria; the wealthy yet awful courtier Googly-Goo; the evil witch Blinkie; and the Scarecrow, sent along by Glinda the Sorceress to save Trot, Cap’n Bill and Button-Bright—and do a bit of conquest and nation building while he’s at it. It’s one of the few times Baum allows romance to enter his Oz books, and not surprisingly, the romance is treated with a decidedly skeptical and hilarious note. (Both Trot and Button-Bright, singularly unimpressed with Pon as a person, prince, and lover, advise both lovers to just get over it. Princess Gloria, however, explains soulfully that a woman cannot choose whom she might love, she just, well, loves, unworthy object or not. Although this might explain a lot, Trot doesn’t buy it, and her reactions—and Button-Bright’s—are priceless.)Baum tweaks the usual fairy tale ending. Instead of automatically elevating the rightful heir to the throne at the tale’s end, he adds an unexpected note of populism/quasi democracy by having the Scarecrow ask the people of Jinxland to name their ruler. Not surprisingly, they take a look at the available candidates and yell out, “Scarecrow!” He, however, refuses, and with a little more tugging, the people of Jinxland yell out a name and by popular, democratic consent become a monarchy again. Er. Yay?
(Go check out the whole thing).
I've also, as always, relied heavily on Wikipedia. Among other observations, Wikipedia notes:
Although the journey of an American child to Oz had long been a favorite plot for Baum, this work represented its last appearance: no more children would be inducted into Oz for the duration of his work on the series.[4]
That's probably for the best. That plot element has been getting overdone in this series. It will be interesting to see what other stories L. Frank Baum can tell. (This is book number 9, so there are still 5 L. Frank Baum Oz books left to work through before we get to the end of his run on the series.)
I'm also doing this series as a buddy reads with Dane Cobain. His written review is HERE. To quote from part of it:
This book was an interesting one for me because I almost feel as though it didn’t need to be an Oz book. In typical style, the titular scarecrow doesn’t actually make an appearance until towards the end of the story, and it could easily have been written in such a way that he wasn’t required at all. And then Dorothy and the rest of the Oz crew only really show up to say hello at the end, as seems to be the tradition for Oz books.
Odds and Ends
Probably to fully appreciate this story, one would need to first read the other two stories in the Cap'n Bill and Trot series: The Sea Fairies and Sky Island. Unfortunately, being out here in Vietnam, I was unable to get my hands on any copies.
I did briefly contemplate trying to read those books off of project Gutenberg, but I dislike reading large amounts off of the computer screen, and so in the end decided against it.
Besides, as I've been noting in my reviews, L. Frank Baum is pretty sloppy in his continuity. Stuff will be established in one book, and then just completely ignored in the next book. And so if that's the case, then I don't feel too guilty about missing some books--particularly if they're only crossover books. I'll just rely off of the Wikipedia summaries instead. (In fact, as Mari Ness points out in her review, Trot apparently had a loving mother that was established in the first two books of the Cap'n Bill and Trot series, and this mother is now completely forgotten about as Trot and Cap'n Bill agree to stay forever in the Land of Oz.)
Extended Quotation
It was Button-Bright who first discovered, lying on his face beneath a broad spreading tree near the pathway, a young man whose body shook with the force of his sobs. He was dressed in a long brown smock and had sandals on his feet, betokening one in humble life. His head was bare and showed a shock of brown, curly hair. Button-Bright looked down on the young man and said:
“Who cares, anyhow?”
“I do!” cried the young man, interrupting his sobs to roll over, face upward, that he might see who had spoken. “I care, for my heart is broken!”
“Can’t you get another one?” asked the little boy.
“I don’t want another!” wailed the young man.
By this time Trot and Cap’n Bill arrived at the spot and the girl leaned over and said in a sympathetic voice:
“Tell us your troubles and perhaps we may help you.”
The youth sat up, then, and bowed politely. Afterward he got upon his feet, but still kept wringing his hands as he tried to choke down his sobs. Trot thought he was very brave to control such awful agony so well.
“My name is Pon,” he began. “I’m the gardener’s boy.”
“Then the gardener of the King is your father, I suppose,” said Trot.
“Not my father, but my master,” was the reply.
“I do the work and the gardener gives the orders. And it was not my fault, in the least, that the Princess Gloria fell in love with me.”
“Did she, really?” asked the little girl.
“I don’t see why,” remarked Button-Bright, staring at the youth.
“And who may the Princess Gloria be?” inquired Cap’n Bill.
“She is the niece of King Krewl, who is her guardian. The Princess lives in the castle and is the loveliest and sweetest maiden in all Jinxland. She is fond of flowers and used to walk in the gardens with her attendants. At such times, if I was working at my tasks, I used to cast down my eyes as Gloria passed me; but one day I glanced up and found her gazing at me with a very tender look in her eyes. The next day she dismissed her attendants and, coming to my side, began to talk with me. She said I had touched her heart as no other young man had ever done. I kissed her hand. Just then the King came around a bend in the walk. He struck me with his fist and kicked me with his foot. Then he seized the arm of the Princess and rudely dragged her into the castle.”
“Wasn’t he awful!” gasped Trot indignantly.
“He is a very abrupt King,” said Pon, "so it was the least I could expect. Up to that time I had not thought of loving Princess Gloria, but realizing it would be impolite not to return her love, I did so. We met at evening, now and then, and she told me the King wanted her to marry a rich courtier named Googly-Goo, who is old enough to be Gloria’s father. She has refused Googly-Goo thirty-nine times, but he still persists and has brought many rich presents to bribe the King. On that account King Krewl has commanded his niece to marry the old man, but the Princess has assured me, time and again, that she will wed only me. This morning we happened to meet in the grape arbor and as I was respectfully saluting the cheek of the Princess, two of the King’s guards seized me and beat me terribly before the very eyes of Gloria, whom the King himself held back so she could not interfere."
(Taken from the beginning of Chapter 10: Pon, the Gardener’s Boy. This is a pretty good summary of the central conflict for the second part of the story.)
Meh. It's okay enough as a little fairy tale. 5 out of 10 stars I guess.
February 6, 2022 p.888-896
February 13, 2022 p.896-980
Video Review (Playlist HERE)
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