The HISTORY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION & the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
present…
The sixth annual HUSA History Film Series!
Charming story for children? Or cleverly-disguised political allegory?
Itself a historical phenomenon, The Wizard of Oz premiered in 1939 and remains one of the most beloved films of all time. Outperformed by Gone with the Wind—another 1939 film—at the Oscars, the tale of Dorothy and her ragtag companions still went on to thrill countless millions of young viewers for almost six decades.
But was the original book by L. Frank Baum truly for kids? Scholars have long speculated that the 1900 novel contains multiple allusions to contemporary American politics. Was the Wicked Witch of the West really President McKinley? Is the Tin Woodman a stand-in for the industrial working class? Do historians and literary critics just overthink these things? Come follow the Yellow Brick Road with the History Department to find out!
Introduced by Geoff Cunfer, Department of History
DATE & TIME: Thursday, January 24 @ 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: Arts 134
ADMISSION: free! (refreshments available for a small fee)
