Abstract
In the introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), L. Frank Baum asserts his intention of bringing forth a new type of fairy-tale, at once more modern and more American. Such goal translates into the creation of a complex universe that gets expanded by means of thirteen sequels and derivative works, and knows a huge mediatic success. Ever since its first publication, it has been debated – and still is – in which genre theOzseries fits, as, even though Baum describes it as a fairy-tale, therefore related to the marvellous, it was read as a North American utopia and a forerunner of fantasy. In this context, keeping these questions in mind, this paper discusses Baum's universe by searching elements from these three categories, so that we may understand its place in the fantasy canon, simultaneously seeking to understand the usage of maps at building secondary worlds, a quite popular feature in fantasy works during the 20th century.
Key-words
Marvellous; Utopia; Charlotte Brontë; L. Frank Baum; Oz