The Fall of the House of Oz? Poe, Baum, and Their Common Cause

Few readers notice similarities between L. Frank Baum’s and Edgar Allen Poe’s writing. Most know only that the former writes children’s literature and the latter writes Gothic horror stories, and see these genres as polar opposites. One might think the two authors are more different than they really are, but they actually share several common methods and goals. They frequently use similar settings; occasionally they even write in similar genres. Their lesser-known works illustrate this most clearly.

Poe’s horror stories brought him fame; fewer people appreciate, or have even heard of, his satire. This is a pity, for Poe truly mastered diverse genres. He possessed the ability to portray the world accurately as dark, gruesome, and evil in his horror stories, while using his satire to expose the many faults of this diseased society. He did not, however, go about these two distinct tasks in the same way. Indeed, someone familiar with Poe’s better known work could read his satirical writing and never guess it came from the same person, for to write in these two genres, Poe used very distinct styles, with several differences between them.

Poe’s horror stories generally take place in distant places and times. For example, “The Cask of Amontillado” happens in Spain during Carnaval, seemingly earlier than Poe’s time; “Ligeia” also seems to take place in an earlier era. However, Poe’s satirical stories frequently take place where and when he lived: His short story “Some Words with a Mummy” appears to take place in America in Poe’s era.

Poe’s satires, unlike his horror stories, typically do not set out to evoke any strong emotional response in the reader, but instead subtly sneer at humanity. “Some Words with a Mummy” will not give its readers nightmares; they will more likely be left either laughing at the absurdity of the world or disillusioned with its flaws. In this story, although a supposedly dead man spontaneously reawakens, he does not proceed to haunt, terrorize, or murder those around him, as would be the logical next step in a horror story. Instead he simply converses with them, in the process exposing them for the fools they are.

To truly understand Poe’s work, we must keep in mind that, especially in his satirical stories, he was not merely a scribbler of gory and sensational tales; he was an adept social critic. He possessed wisdom enough to recognize the futility of attempts at “social reform;” knowing that neither he nor anyone else could exorcise the world’s demons, he chose to write about them and to mock them. If only more people had read and understood what he had been trying to say.

Just as Poe is best known for his Gothic horror tales, L. Frank Baum is best known for writing the Oz series. Few people are aware that he wrote several novels unrelated to Oz, in addition to many short stories. Unlike Poe, he does not use such different styles in his various works that it is difficult to recognize them all as coming from him, but the techniques he chooses frequently vary.

Baum’s Oz series, predictably enough, takes place in the magical imaginary land of Oz. Even some of his books that are not part of the Oz series take place in some fantasy realm; Dot and Tot in Merryland, for example, takes place in Merryland. (Baum’s strength was not subtlety.) Many of his short stories, however, take place in his America. In fact, he wrote a book of twelve stories, titled American Fairy Tales, in which eleven of the stories take place on Earth, an unusual choice for fantasy. The stories which take place on Earth are the best examples of his deviations from the typical children’s literature and fairy tale style.
Baum’s Oz series is generally lighthearted and optimistic, but his short stories often show hints of cynicism toward the world, like Poe’s satires. To return to the example of American Fairy Tales, many of the stories in that book have depressing elements or end with nonsensical “morals.” His short story “The Glass Dog” talks about suicide and betrayal and ends with Baum saying, in essence, “I suppose this story has a moral, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what is is.” The stories are supposedly written for children, but their wry portrayal of the world is quite unusual for children’s literature.

We have seen now that Poe wrote satire, although few are aware of this fact; likewise, few people would regard any of Baum's work as satire, and yet elements of satire are often unmistakably present. The cynical tone mentioned previously is only one aspect. “The Glass Dog,” for example, is only a short story, but in its few pages it satirizes human greed, obsession with physical appearance, and the twisted, treacherous nature that all possess.

This apt commentary on society shows Baum’s skill as a social critic. He proved himself able to see the horrible truth, brave enough to accept it, and noble enough to attempt to reveal it. One might take issue with his choice of children’s literature as a medium, but really, he could hardly have been better at what he did, save by becoming a murderous barber.

As you may now be able to more fully understand, Poe was not as dissimilar to Baum as is commonly assumed. Poe, like Baum, wrote stories setting fantastic events in the modern world; Poe, like Baum, exhibited a cynical attitude toward humanity and society. Poe, like Baum, wrote satire, which is less commonly known than his other works. Poe, like Baum, used his writing as a medium to criticize his society. The master of horror and the master of fantasy show their true talent and versatility by finding common ground.