OZ series: Why did the Wizard hide Ozma?

[SwordKing]

When the Wizard took control of the Emerald City, one of the first things he did was spirit away the infant Princess Ozma and leave her in the care of Mombi. Supposedly this so she wouldn't become a threat to the Wizard's continued rule. But in later books the Wizard is one of Ozma's most trusted advisors. Could it be the Wizard had a more benign reason for removing the rightful heir to the Emerald City? Like he hid Ozma to protect her from something? Any suggestions?

[Tripe]

The real explanation: Baum is like Galsworthy in that he created a character with more than a few negatives (The Wizard in Baum's case, Soames Forsyte in Galsworthy's) that he came to like and so softened until that character was altered to being essentially the oposite of how he was originally portrayed.

The mes en scene explanation: I suppose since Ozma was a little girl at the time and couldn't defend Oz as well as a grown up could (at least in the view of the Wizard) getting her out of the way would have been for the best. And if it was done in such a way as to make the wizard look like a ":strong Man" ceasing control, then all the better for the security of the realm.

Also perhaps he knew Mombi would do the little gender switcheroo on Ozma by which she would gain a greater understanding of all her subjects, male and female, when she finally was able to assume her rightful role.

[PlayMSTie]

Anyone else think Baum was just plain weird? When I first read the book, I was at the age where all boys have cooties, so I liked that part (what a great idea to turn boys into girls! All boys should be turned into girls!). Now when I think back on it, I find the whole scenario a little creepy.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Hmm, a story involving gender-swaps, humanoids with wheels, and teaming up with a pumpkin-headed gentleman and a talking chicken on a flying bed with a moose head and palm-frond wings, and you think this guy could be weird?!

Good heavens, where do you get that idea? 

[PlayMSTie]

Goodness knows. 

[anais.jude]

which Oz book is this?

[Tripe]

Well the gender realignment is from The Marvelous Land of Oz while the things Fuzzy alludes to come from a bunch of different ones but he's probably referring back to the movie Return to Oz where they are gathered together.

[skenderberg]

which Oz book is this?

There are fourteen Oz books written by L. Frank Baum, (as well as a whole passel of them by other authors; apparently it used to be quite the franchise) and every last one of them is insanely strange.  Only the first one makes any sense at all.  Several of the others went so far as to borrow characters from other (now obscure) childrens' series.  He'd just drop them in without explanation, so that as a child reading them I'd go, "Wait, this is who from the Merry Land of what?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_books

[Doctor Who?]

Good night!

Here I was thinking Harry Potter was a bit much at seven books.

How does one even begin to keep track of the plot?!

[skenderberg]

There is no overarching plot.  Each book is self contained, liberally adjusting prior continuity as necessary.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Good night!

Here I was thinking Harry Potter was a bit much at seven books.

How does one even begin to keep track of the plot?!

I think if you create an 8th-dimensional model, complete with living parts and metaphysical wave-forms, you might get near a workable continuity.

[deadheadpunk]

i've never read any of these books, are they worth reading?

[Tripe]

I think so. I like Baum despite the lack of continuity. I also like his Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

[deadheadpunk]

how many books are there? (i'm looking for something new to read after i finish what i'm reading)

[Tripe]

14 by Baum, 19 by Ruth Plumly Thompson and then a bunch of others of varing cannonical status.

But the 33 combined are the core books really.