Finished Wicked
I finished reading the book, Wicked: The Life and Time of the Wicked Witch of the West.
I didn't like the book that much. It was slow in the beginning. Many things probably went over my head because I didn't really watch The Wizard of Oz, or read Baum's novel. I understood some political satire, some discussion of evil, and a host of other things.
I enjoyed it somewhat; it tells me why Todd might have enjoyed the musical, though I don't recall if he read the book as well. The basic story is that of the Witch who couldn't accomplish anything and who was doomed to failure because of her own character. It is clear that some people have thought that the book was Aristotlean in terms of tragedy, that all the seeds of her failings were planted along with her birth, which happened because of the Time Dragon and the dwarf that had no name.
By the end of the novel, the actions began to pick up, and I could begin to pity the Wicked Witch, though she would disclaim such sympathy. Her only desire was to gain forgiveness for adultery and the death of her lover, and she was never forgiven. It was interesting to see how she was interested in Animals' rights. This, among many other things, gave her human characters that she never had in the movie, and probably not in the book.
The simpering authority of Glinda made me like her less. She was simply an idiot who wanted the best for everyone, but cannot give up clinging for her social status. The Wizard was a cruel and manipulative man who hid behind anonymity and stirred political intrigue.
This book was better than the movie, because it made everything seems more realistic. There were more backgrounds to each character, especially as to why the Witch is wicked. The fact that people know how the story ends makes each event seems like Macbeth or Oedipus in scale. There were times, for example, that the Witch could have made a different choice. The purpose of the Time Dragon was to emphasize that beyond choice, it was our human failings that manipulated us.
On the whole, I would give this book a C+.
I didn't like the book that much. It was slow in the beginning. Many things probably went over my head because I didn't really watch The Wizard of Oz, or read Baum's novel. I understood some political satire, some discussion of evil, and a host of other things.
I enjoyed it somewhat; it tells me why Todd might have enjoyed the musical, though I don't recall if he read the book as well. The basic story is that of the Witch who couldn't accomplish anything and who was doomed to failure because of her own character. It is clear that some people have thought that the book was Aristotlean in terms of tragedy, that all the seeds of her failings were planted along with her birth, which happened because of the Time Dragon and the dwarf that had no name.
By the end of the novel, the actions began to pick up, and I could begin to pity the Wicked Witch, though she would disclaim such sympathy. Her only desire was to gain forgiveness for adultery and the death of her lover, and she was never forgiven. It was interesting to see how she was interested in Animals' rights. This, among many other things, gave her human characters that she never had in the movie, and probably not in the book.
The simpering authority of Glinda made me like her less. She was simply an idiot who wanted the best for everyone, but cannot give up clinging for her social status. The Wizard was a cruel and manipulative man who hid behind anonymity and stirred political intrigue.
This book was better than the movie, because it made everything seems more realistic. There were more backgrounds to each character, especially as to why the Witch is wicked. The fact that people know how the story ends makes each event seems like Macbeth or Oedipus in scale. There were times, for example, that the Witch could have made a different choice. The purpose of the Time Dragon was to emphasize that beyond choice, it was our human failings that manipulated us.
On the whole, I would give this book a C+.
Labels: books
posted by Alan at December 24, 2005
1 Comments:
A fair evaluation of the book, although I'd give it a higher grade. I definitely enjoyed the book, and am interested in whether or not the discussion of 'Animal' rights had some kind of implication in today's society, or whether it was just a way to make the reader sense the humanity behind Elphaba. Meh, either way, I enjoyed it!
Nice blog :o)
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