Overview
- Combines cultural and literary analysis, archival research, narrative and gender theory, in-depth interviews with both consumers and producers, ethnography, and analysis of social media
- Illustrates how different (re)iterations of Oz across textual—and performance—forms are consumed by different market segments
- Examines the interplay of authorial intent and consumer effect
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About this book
The Road to Wicked examines the long life of the Oz myth. It is both a study in cultural sustainability— the capacity of artists, narratives, art forms, and genres to remain viable over time—and an examination of the marketing machinery and consumption patterns that make such sustainability possible. Drawing on the fields of macromarketing, consumer behavior, literary and cultural studies, and theories of adaption and remediation, the authors examine key adaptations and extensions of Baum’s 1900 novel. These include the original Oz craze, the MGM film and its television afterlife, Wicked and its extensions, and Oz the Great and Powerful—Disney’s recent (and highly lucrative) venture that builds on the considerable success of Wicked. At the end of the book, the authors offer a foundational framework for a new theory of cultural sustainability and propose a set of explanatory conditions under which any artistic experience might achieve it.
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Keywords
Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Wicked
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Front Matter
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Beyond Wicked
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“The Road to Wicked is notable title that goes into the details of consumer-product relations and explains the many steps the industry in cooperation with the arts and entertainment industry prepares and carries out for the simple motive of commercial success.” (A. Ebert, popcultureshelf.com, February, 2019)
“A wonderful book that offers an insightful and innovative case study of cultural sustainability—how stories like Oz stay popular over time, across cultures, and reinvent themselves for new audiences. Especially useful for its exploration into how consumers connect with all aspects of the Wizard of Oz brand culture, from Frank Baum’s original Oz books, the famous Technicolor Wizard of Oz film, The Wiz, and Wicked, the bestselling book and record-setting hit Broadway play. The Road to Wicked makes an exciting and original contribution to interdisciplinary efforts to understand and theorize the growth of branded entertainment marketing. It should be useful to researchers and practitioners in a wide range of fields, as well as fans of Oz, Dorothy, and her little dog, too.” (Jonathan E. Schroeder, William A. Kern Professor, School of Communication, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the authors
Kent Drummond is Associate Professor of Management and Marketing in the College of Business at the University of Wyoming, USA.
Susan Aronstein is Professor of English and Director of the University Honors Program at the University of Wyoming, USA.
Terri L. Rittenburg is Professor Emerita of Management and Marketing in the College of Business at the University of Wyoming, USA.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Road to Wicked
Book Subtitle: The Marketing and Consumption of Oz from L. Frank Baum to Broadway
Authors: Kent Drummond, Susan Aronstein, Terri L. Rittenburg
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93106-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-93105-0Published: 08 August 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-06590-4Published: 22 December 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-93106-7Published: 24 July 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 336
Number of Illustrations: 5 illustrations in colour
Topics: Popular Culture , Theatre Industry, Media Management, Children's Literature, Contemporary Theatre