Dorothy on magic ways
Dorothy on Magic Paths (more correct would be: The Road to Oz) is a children's book by the American writer Lyman Frank Baum . The story was published in 1909 under the original title The Road to Oz with illustrations by John R. Neill . This is the fifth volume of the Oz cycle, which is one of the most popular children's books in the USA and has also been partly published in German.
action
The shaggy man is loved by everyone, because in his possession is the magnet of love. When he passes Dorothy's house, he wants to know which road leads to Butterfield. Dorothy tries to explain it to him, but is suddenly no longer sure of herself and decides to accompany the shaggy man to the fork in the road and show him the right way there. Her dog Toto is also coming. At the fork in the road, Dorothy is still unsure because somehow everything looks different than usual. Somehow there are many more ways than usual and she suddenly doesn't know where she came from. She has no choice but to accompany the shaggy man. They take the seventh path and want to see where it leads them. After a while they meet a little boy who calls himself Blitzeblank. Since he, too, cannot say where he comes from or where he is going and doesn't know much else, he joins Dorothy and the shaggy man.
They soon come to a city that is inhabited by talking foxes. The fox king Dox Renard IV welcomes you with all honors and asks you to be his guests. He is particularly impressed by Blitzeblank, who he thinks is very clever because of his constant questions and the constant answer “I don't know”. As a reward, he turns the boy's head into a fox head. Dorothy and the shaggy man protest against it, but the fox can no longer undo the spell. When the fox finds out that Dorothy knows Ozma from Oz , he is even more enthusiastic and asks her to get him an invitation to the princess’s birthday party, which is soon to take place. Dorothy is amazed that the fox knows Oz and then has to learn that the fox country is closer to Oz than to Kansas. She then promises to think about the invitation.
The journey continues the next day. Soon you meet a sad girl. It turns out to be polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow who fell from it. After Dorothy tells her that the only way to help her get home is in Oz, she joins the group.
In the evening they reach a city that is only inhabited by donkeys. Here, too, you will receive a friendly welcome. The donkey king Iah is so impressed with the expression of the shaggy man that he turns his head into a donkey's head. He, too, cannot undo the spell. Only the “pond of truth” in the land of Oz is capable of doing this. When Dorothy mentions that this is the destination of their journey, the Donkey King asks for an invitation to Ozma's birthday. Dorothy promises to ask if they reach Oz at all.
On the way the friends meet a musician who sounds like an orchestra when he breathes and can only speak while singing. He too asks for an invitation to the birthday party.
The friends soon crossed the land of the Scudlers, strange creatures with two fronts but no backs. They can throw their heads around and intend to make soup of their friends. Fortunately, they manage to escape the domain of the Scudlers and continue their journey safely.
The next stop is the deadly desert, the crossing of which gives friends some headaches. But then the shaggy man has the saving idea. With the help of his magnet of love, he calls his old friend Johnny MachtEs over. This is an extremely nimble and also skilled craftsman. In an incredibly short time, he builds a sail-powered ship with which the travelers can cross the desert unscathed. Luckily for them, they reach Oz exactly where the “pond of truth” is, so that the shaggy man and Blitzeblank can finally get rid of their animal heads. The friends happily continue on their way to the emerald city. They soon meet Tiktok and the hen Billina, whom Ozma, who has followed her entire journey in her magic mirror, has sent to meet them as a reception committee. These first lead the travelers into the new castle of the sheet metal woodcutter, from where they then set off together to the emerald city. There they are given a glamorous reception and Ozma confesses that she is responsible for Dorothy and the shaggy man getting lost. She really wanted to celebrate her birthday with her friend Dorothy. All sorts of bizarre characters are invited to this. The King of the Foxes and the King of the Donkey are also present. The most important guest, however, is Santa Claus . Ozma did not invite the musician, however, because his loud breathing would only disturb the party. At the height of the birthday party, most of the guests are sent back home with a bubble machine constructed by the ancient Wizard of Oz. Only Dorothy would rather be wished back to Kansas with the help of the magic belt. Ozma gives the shaggy man permission to stay in the magic land.
Continuity failure
The existence of money in Oz has been pointed out repeatedly up to now, but from now on it is emphasized that there is no such thing in the whole country.
literature
First edition
- The Road to Oz . Chicago: Reilly and Britton Company 1909
German translations
- L. Frank Baum: Dorothy on magic paths . Übers. Esmy Berlt, LeiV Buchhandels und Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2000, ISBN 3-89603-050-7
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