Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 13:57:04 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] zixi 
 
A just-started-re-reading note -- 
 
In the past we've talked about W.S. Gilbert's influence on Baum. I notice in  
"Zixi" that the fifth of the Noland high councilors is the Lord High  
Executioner. 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 14:11:30 +0100 (BST)
From: "Boq Aru" <boq_aru at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [Regalia] Zixi Ozish
 
Almost all the names in Zixi are English or some really fine English
wordplay. Only a few are Ozish. Seven additional for a total of 143.
   
Burzee (enchanted forest) a forest chock a block with fairies - "Buairsidhe"
//bu:r'z'i:yy'i// - /bu:rzi:yy/ (boorzee) - "Buairsidhe" = "fairy forest,
enchanted forest" from "Buair" //bu:r'// - /bu:r'/ (boor) - "Buair" =
"forest" combined with "Sidhe" //s'i:yy'i// - /s'i:yy/ (shee) - "Sidhe" =
"fairy"
   
Lulea (dancing fairy) queen of the dancing elves - "Luailleadh"
//lu:ll'a:yy// - /lu:l'a:/ (loolya) - "Luailleadh" = "dancing fairy" from
"Luaille" //lu:ll'i// - /lu:l'i/ (looly) - "Luaille" = "mime, mimic, dance a
seasonal dance like Morris dancers"
   
Espa (quiet) a sweet little fairy who had not before spoken - "Easpadh"
//espa:yy// - /espa:/ (espa) - "Easpadh" = "quiet"
   
Ereol (golden haired) very lovely in appearance, and with her fluffy
golden hair and clear blue eyes was marvelously fair to look upon -
"Eorghruaghol" //er3ra3ol// - /errayyol/ (ereyol) - "Eorghruaghol" = "golden
haired" from "Eor" //er// - /er/ (er) - "Eor" = "golden" from "Or" //o:r// -
/o:r/ (or) - "Or" = "gold" combined with "Gruagh" //gru:3// - /gru:3/
(groogh) - "Gruagh" = "hair"
   
Tullydub - chief counselor
Tollydob - lord high general
Tillydib - lord high pursebearer
Tallydab - lord high steward
Tellydeb - lord high executioner
These seem to be wordplays on Tollydub - "Tolldhubh dub" //to:llyyw du:b//
- /toli: du:b/ (tolly doob) - "Tolldhubh dub" = "black jail or black toll"
which would be an extreme jail or an extreme toll, possibly to imply condign
justice - from "Tolldhubh" //to:llyyw// - /toli:/ (tolly) - "Tolldhubh" =
"tollbooth" or "jail" which may be a loanword from English by a curious
metathesis of "booth" to "dhubh" but I think is more likely as "Toll"
//to:ll// - /to:l/ (toll) - "Toll" = "hole" combined with "Dhubh" //yyw//
- /i:/ (ee) - "Dhubh" = "black" as an adjective of characterization, thus
"black hole" = "tollbooth" for collecting taxes, or "jail" where you go when
the taxes are not paid combined with "Dub" //du:b// - /du:b/ (doob) - "Dub"
= "black"
   
Jikki (nervous, eager) king's valet, very nervous, very talkative -
"Diocaidh" //d'ici:yy'// - /d'ici:/ (jicky) - "Diocaidh" = "nervous, eager"
   
Skib (stingy housewife) Mammy Skib, otherwise uncharacterised - "Sciob"
//s'c'ip// - /x'c'ip/ (skip) - "Sciob" = "stingy housewife"
   
Zixi - (illusion) the witch queen illusionist of Ix, the land of night -
"Soidhchte" //ziqqx'i:// - /ziqqsi:/ (ziksee) - "Soidhchte" = "one who is a
beautiful illusion, a daydream" - from "So-" prefix meaning the positive
aspect of something, combined with "Oidhchte" //iqqx'i:// - /iqqsi:/ (iksee)
"Oidhchte" = "night-like"
   
Ix - (night) the land of Ix - "Oidhche" //iqqx'// - /iqqs/ (iks) - "Oidhche"
= "night" so "the land of night" which fits well with the kingdom of dreams
and the land of nothing, which are also borderlands.
   
Tatti - (cup shaped) the tatti-plant, with cup shaped leaves - "Taite"
//ta:t'i// - /ta:t'i/ (tatty) - "Taite" = "cup shaped" possibly related to
Germanic Tasse, Tatte = cup
   
Adlena - (fair lady) Zixi's pseudonym as a maid - "Aidhleanna"
//a:yy'l'enna// - /a:dl'ena/ (adlena) - "Aidhleanna" = "fair lady"

Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 08:14:54 -0500
From: "Marcus Mebes" <baringer at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Zixi Ozish

Boq! This is BRILLIANT! Thank you! :)

Marcus

On 4/6/07, Boq Aru <boq_aru at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Almost all the names in Zixi are English or some really fine English
> wordplay. Only a few are Ozish. Seven additional for a total of 143.
>
> Burzee (enchanted forest) a forest chock a block with fairies - "Buairsidhe"
> //bu:r'z'i:yy'i// - /bu:rzi:yy/ (boorzee) - "Buairsidhe" = "fairy forest,
> enchanted forest" from "Buair" //bu:r'// - /bu:r'/ (boor) - "Buair" =
> "forest" combined with "Sidhe" //s'i:yy'i// - /s'i:yy/ (shee) - "Sidhe" =
> "fairy"
>
> Lulea (dancing fairy) queen of the dancing elves - "Luailleadh"
> //lu:ll'a:yy// - /lu:l'a:/ (loolya) - "Luailleadh" = "dancing fairy" from
> "Luaille" //lu:ll'i// - /lu:l'i/ (looly) - "Luaille" = "mime, mimic, dance a
> seasonal dance like Morris dancers"
>
> Espa (quiet) a sweet little fairy who had not before spoken - "Easpadh"
> //espa:yy// - /espa:/ (espa) - "Easpadh" = "quiet"
>
> Ereol (golden haired) very lovely in appearance, and with her fluffy
> golden hair and clear blue eyes was marvelously fair to look upon -
> "Eorghruaghol" //er3ra3ol// - /errayyol/ (ereyol) - "Eorghruaghol" = "golden
> haired" from "Eor" //er// - /er/ (er) - "Eor" = "golden" from "Or" //o:r// -
> /o:r/ (or) - "Or" = "gold" combined with "Gruagh" //gru:3// - /gru:3/
> (groogh) - "Gruagh" = "hair"
>
> Tullydub - chief counselor
> Tollydob - lord high general
> Tillydib - lord high pursebearer
> Tallydab - lord high steward
> Tellydeb - lord high executioner
> These seem to be wordplays on Tollydub - "Tolldhubh dub" //to:llyyw du:b// -
> /toli: du:b/ (tolly doob) - "Tolldhubh dub" = "black jail or black toll"
> which would be an extreme jail or an extreme toll, possibly to imply condign
> justice - from "Tolldhubh" //to:llyyw// - /toli:/ (tolly) - "Tolldhubh" =
> "tollbooth" or "jail" which may be a loanword from English by a curious
> metathesis of "booth" to "dhubh" but I think is more likely as "Toll"
> //to:ll// - /to:l/ (toll) - "Toll" = "hole" combined with "Dhubh" //yyw// -
> /i:/ (ee) - "Dhubh" = "black" as an adjective of characterization, thus
> "black hole" = "tollbooth" for collecting taxes, or "jail" where you go when
> the taxes are not paid combined with "Dub" //du:b// - /du:b/ (doob) - "Dub"
> = "black"
>
> Jikki (nervous, eager) king's valet, very nervous, very talkative -
> "Diocaidh" //d'ici:yy'// - /d'ici:/ (jicky) - "Diocaidh" = "nervous, eager"
>
> Skib (stingy housewife) Mammy Skib, otherwise uncharacterised - "Sciob"
> //s'c'ip// - /x'c'ip/ (skip) - "Sciob" = "stingy housewife"
>
> Zixi - (illusion) the witch queen illusionist of Ix, the land of night -
> "Soidhchte" //ziqqx'i:// - /ziqqsi:/ (ziksee) - "Soidhchte" = "one who is a
> beautiful illusion, a daydream" - from "So-" prefix meaning the positive
> aspect of something, combined with "Oidhchte" //iqqx'i:// - /iqqsi:/ (iksee)
> "Oidhchte" = "night-like"
>
> Ix - (night) the land of Ix - "Oidhche" //iqqx'// - /iqqs/ (iks) - "Oidhche"
> = "night" so "the land of night" which fits well with the kingdom of dreams
> and the land of nothing, which are also borderlands.
>
> Tatti - (cup shaped) the tatti-plant, with cup shaped leaves - "Taite"
> //ta:t'i// - /ta:t'i/ (tatty) - "Taite" = "cup shaped" possibly related to
> Germanic Tasse, Tatte = cup
>
> Adlena - (fair lady) Zixi's pseudonym as a maid - "Aidhleanna"
> //a:yy'l'enna// - /a:dl'ena/ (adlena) - "Aidhleanna" = "fair lady"
>
>

Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 14:48:22 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] zixi & nesbit 
 
I've commented in the past that E. Nesbit's and Baum's dragons and mermaids  
make a striking coincidence, coming out too close together for either to  
have influenced the other. 
 
I think maybe with "Zixi" in 1905 (and maybe with "Queer Visitors," 1904),  
Nesbit might actually have been influencing Baum in the decision to write  
about what is a good wish or a foolish wish. In "The 5 Children and It" the  
children get one wish a day, and the wish ends with the end of the day. In  
"Queer Visitors," quite a few of the episodes turn on people who get a wish  
from the Visitors (and in practical terms, it's a single wish, because the  
Visitors are travelling around the country), with a comical result in how  
the wish does or doesn't turn out well. In "Zixi," the whole story is  
structured around people getting a single wish (a lasting one, however,  
unless undone by the fairies), and how it does or doesn't turn out well. One  
wish (I think only the one, but haven't finished re-reading "Zixi" yet, and  
haven't looked through "5 Children" to check, either) is the same in both  
books, the wish for wings to be able to fly, a wish leaning more to the  
foolish than to the wise for both the 5 and for Aunt Rivette. Wanting to be  
able to fly, though, is such a widespread wish, that I'm not sure this is so  
much similarity between the two as make for a strong indication of  
influence. Still, some influence there seems at least a possibility. (Baum  
did know and like Nesbit's work, according to his article on "Modern Fairy  
Tales" a few years later.) 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:11:31 -0500 
From: "Chris Gembara" <teine_sionnic at hotmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] zixi & nesbit 
 
>I think maybe with "Zixi" in 1905 (and maybe with "Queer Visitors," 1904), 
>Nesbit might actually have been influencing Baum in the decision to write 
>about what is a good wish or a foolish wish. In "The 5 Children and It" the 
>children get one wish a day, and the wish ends with the end of the day. In 
>One wish (I think only the one, but haven't finished re-reading "Zixi" yet,  
>and 
>haven't looked through "5 Children" to check, either) is the same in both 
>books, the wish for wings to be able to fly, a wish leaning more to the 
>foolish than to the wise for both the 5 and for Aunt Rivette. Wanting to be 
>able to fly, though, is such a widespread wish, that I'm not sure this is  
>so 
>much similarity between the two as make for a strong indication of 
>influence. Still, some influence there seems at least a possibility. (Baum 
>did know and like Nesbit's work, according to his article on "Modern Fairy 
>Tales" a few years later.) 
> 
>Ruth Berman 
 
Now that you mention it, I do remember that! I think only one of the  
children wished to fly. At the end of the day, his (I'm very sure it was a  
he) wings disappeared and he was stuck on the top of a tower. (The church  
steeple?) The manticore that acts like a little cat, happily drinking milk,  
is another type of thing Baum would use. A bit like his dog and cat  
behaviours of the Cowardly Lion. 
 
Chris Gembara

Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 15:50:42 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] ZIXI and Nesbit 
 
Ruth Berman wrote: 
> I think maybe with "Zixi" in 1905 (and maybe with "Queer Visitors," 1904),  
> Nesbit might actually have been influencing Baum in the decision to write  
> about what is a good wish or a foolish wish. In "The 5 Children and It" the  
> children get one wish a day, and the wish ends with the end of the day. In  
> "Queer Visitors," quite a few of the episodes turn on people who get a wish  
> from the Visitors (and in practical terms, it's a single wish, because the  
> Visitors are travelling around the country), with a comical result in how  
> the wish does or doesn't turn out well. In "Zixi," the whole story is  
> structured around people getting a single wish (a lasting one, however,  
> unless undone by the fairies), and how it does or doesn't turn out well. One  
> wish (I think only the one, but haven't finished re-reading "Zixi" yet, and  
> haven't looked through "5 Children" to check, either) is the same in both  
> books, the wish for wings to be able to fly, a wish leaning more to the  
> foolish than to the wise for both the 5 and for Aunt Rivette. Wanting to be  
> able to fly, though, is such a widespread wish, that I'm not sure this is so  
> much similarity between the two as make for a strong indication of  
> influence. Still, some influence there seems at least a possibility.  
 
In FIVE CHILDREN AND IT, all four main children get wings: 
http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/nesbit/fivechil.html#p103 
In this case, the impermanence of the wish is both a blessing (the kids  
don't have to change their entire lifestyle, as Aunt Rivette does) and a  
curse (they get stuck on top of the church tower). 
 
It seems significant that the foolish wishes in QUEEN ZIXI also turn out  
to be wise wishes. The counselors, Aunt Rivette, and the chamberlain  
learn how to take advantage of their spur-of-the-moment desires and put  
them to use when Noland is threatened. 
 
That seems to fit with Baum's general philosophy that there's no such  
thing as good or bad magic, just good or bad people doing magic. In  
these cases, a foolish wish can help a somewhat foolish person become a  
little less foolish. Because, unlike the Nesbit children, they have no  
choice but to live with and learn from their mistakes. 
 
Overall, though, I think that the genre of "foolish wish" stories is so  
broad that I think Nesbit and Baum could have had separate inspirations. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:52:05 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] zixi & nesbit ps 
 
I see I forgot to mention the date on Nesbit's "Five Children & It" -- it  
was 1902, a reasonable possibility for influencing Baum's "Queer Visitors"  
(1904) & "Zixi" (1905). I don't think it's known when Baum got acquainted  
with her work (the "Modern Fairy Tales" article where he mentions it came a  
few years later -- was it 1909?), but suspect that he would have noticed  
early on that she was writing books he ought to read. She was a little  
younger (born 1858) and started publishing sooner (late 1880's), but they  
both hit their stride at about the turn of the century ("The Story of the  
Treasurer Seekers" 1898, "Book of Dragons" in "Strand Magazine" in 1899 and  
in book form 1900, "5 Children & It" 1902; "Wizard of Oz" 1900). 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:24:56 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] zixi & nesbit 
 
"J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> Overall, though, I think that the genre of "foolish wish" stories is so  
> broad that I think Nesbit and Baum could have had separate inspirations. > 
 
Yes, that could be. But I think Nesbit's was the first time that a series of  
foolish wishes was the basis for a book-length story, and I wonder if that  
might have influenced Baum, even though undoubtedly he knew as well as she  
did the many individual short stories about  foolish wishes in folktales,  
such as the one about the pudding on the end of one's nose, or the  
greed-series in "The Fisherman and His Wife." (Well, that one is a series of  
wishes, but each one is the same wish as before, only more of it, rather  
than the kind of experimentation that the children as a group in "5  
Children" and the individual characters in "Zixi" from seeing what's been  
happening to the others go through in trying to work out solutions to the  
problem of What is a Wise Wish. In "Queer Visitors," the characters aren't  
aware of each other's foolish wishes, but Baum to some extent explores over  
the sequence the question of What is a Wise Wish). 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:24:45 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: [Regalia] ZIXI's Moon 
 
The Man in the Moon plays an important role in QUEEN ZIXI, advising the  
fairies on who should receive the Magic Cloak. (It seems odd that the  
fairies, who in other Baum fantasies are called the guardians of humans,  
can't think of this on their own, but there we are.) 
 
Baum also wrote about the Man in the Moon in MOTHER GOOSE IN PROSE,  
basing that story on the nursery rhyme ("The Man in the Moon / Came down  
too soon...") 
 
And in OZMA, Neill drew a man in the Moon welcoming Mr. Tinker, who  
according to Tik-Tok becomes a man living on the Moon. It's interesting  
that Baum could write about the same trope in such different ways. 
 
In WIZARD, as I recall, Denslow drew the Moon with a face, the  
conception closest to what we see in ZIXI. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:28:33 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] zixi & nesbit 
 
Ruth Berman wrote: 
> I think Nesbit's was the first time that a series of  
> foolish wishes was the basis for a book-length story 
 
I think FIVE CHILDREN & IT is more a series of short stories than a true  
novel, even though it is book-length. The episodes accumulate, but they  
don't really build. Nesbit wrote it for THE STRAND MAGAZINE, and critics  
say she was just making the transition from a short-story writer into a  
novelist. As tales with quick lessons about wishes, it (and QUEER  
VISITORS, and some of the AMERICAN FAIRY TALES) are like the classic  
lesson tales. 
 
Of course, Baum also wrote ZIXI as a magazine serial, for ST. NICHOLAS.  
But he had written novels before, including WIZARD. His stories were  
often episodic, but the episodes could be more varied in what they  
imparted. In ZIXI, the counselors' foolish wishes do seem like  
repetitive episodes. Once Baum moves on to the conflict between Ix and  
Noland and then to the Roly-Rogues, however, the story seems to become  
more complex and to build on itself. 
 
I seem to recall someone saying (Katharine Rogers? Peter Hanff?) that  
the editors at ST. NICHOLAS pushed Baum as a writer in ways that the  
Bobbs-Merrill and Reilly & Britton editors didn't, with ZIXI being a  
more polished book as a result. But I get the impression that there's no  
documentary evidence for that--editorial correspondence demanding  
another draft, for example. Rather, it was a critical impression based  
on the final product. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:32:34 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] reachard & rogues 
 
A question about "Zixi" influence going the other way -- did the wish to be  
able to reach things however far away suggest the Long-Armed Reacher to RPT  
for "Ojo"? 
 
In re-reading, I'm just coming up on the Roly Rogues chapter, and find  
myself feeing reluctant to read it. Zixi's decision to stop wanting what she  
doesn't need and maybe wants precisely because she can't have it is the most  
interesting part of the story. Going off to another invasion by a set of  
invaders with less interesting motives seems like a weak moment in this  
mostly strong story. (Unless, of course, I feel different about it once I  
actually re-read the section.) 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:08:41 -0700 (PDT) 
From: ericshanower <shanower at pacbell.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Regalia Digest, Vol 3, Issue 12 
 
J.L. Bell wrote: 
 
The Man in the Moon plays an important role in QUEEN ZIXI, advising the  
fairies on who should receive the Magic Cloak. (It seems odd that the  
fairies, who in other Baum fantasies are called the guardians of  
humans,  
can't think of this on their own, but there we are.) 
 
I get the clear impression that the fairies's dance and their calling upon the Man in the Moon 
seems designed for the stage. I think that in the few years after the success of the Broadway 
Wizard, writing his books with the idea of a subsequent stage adaptation was at the forefront of 
Baum's consciousness. And since Zixi was later turned into a dramatic presentation (albeit film 
rather than stage), it's certain that Baum, at least at that point, saw possibilities for dramatic 
adaptation in Zixi. 
 
Eric 
 
 
 
 
Visit the website of my award-winning graphic novel series Age of Bronze:  
www.age-of-bronze.com
www.ericshanower.com

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:25:47 -0600 
From: "Bell Snickle" <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> 
Subject: [Regalia] Queen Zixi of Ix 
 
I've really enjoyed re-reading "Queen Zixi Of Ix."  If the strength of this  
book is partially due to editorial input from St. Nicholas magazine, I  
really wish Baum had enjoyed a similarly strong editor at Reilly &  
Britton/Lee as, to me at least, the story arc flows better than some of his  
other books.  I like how Bud develops from pretty much an id-driven king  
with Fluff as his super-ego  to genuinely desiring to be a great ruler for  
his people. 
 
Just a few more thoughts on it: 
 
- I enjoyed the segment with the Roly-Rogues, but it seemed slightly out of  
place introducing grotesques so late into the book.  (I don't really count  
Aunt Rivette or the counselors as grotesques since their changes are the  
result of the magic cloak which is introduced in the course of the story nor  
the talking alligator or owl as that's explained as a result of Zixi's  
sorcery.) 
 
- Zixi's magic seemed more occult than that Baum's other magic workers with  
the exception of Mombi's incantations in "The Land Of Oz." (Of course some  
of this is Richardson's illustrations as well.)  But while Mombi is a  
straight villian, Zixi's character is more nuanced.  This isn't a value  
judgement for me but in modern America I do wonder if some parents would  
object to her portrayal as a reformed/sympathetic character. 
 
- This quote "And when her mind was in normal condition, the witch-queen was  
very sweet and agreeable in disposition" reminded me a bit of a reversal of  
his descriptions Princess Langwidere in "Ozma of Oz."  Also, Baum really has  
a wonderful style of prose. 
 
- Also I really enjoyed Richardson's illustrations overall.  My copy is the  
Dover edition that has the color plates in black and white so now I think I  
may need to upgrade to an edition with the plates in color.  I think my  
favorite illustration though is the one of Tullydub and Aunt Rivette dancing  
with Tullydub's wig slipping off. 
 
B. Snickle

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:59:53 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] moon & sky 
 
"J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> The Man in the Moon plays an important role in QUEEN ZIXI, < 
> Baum also wrote about the Man in the Moon in MOTHER GOOSE IN PROSE, basing  
> that story on the nursery rhyme ("The Man in the Moon / Came down > too  
> soon...") < 
> And in OZMA, Neill drew a man in the Moon welcoming Mr. Tinker, who  
> according to Tik-Tok becomes a man living on the Moon. It's interesting  
> that Baum could write about the same trope in such different ways. > 
 
The Oz sky seems to be a very variegated sort of place. There's a mention of  
the Mountains of the Moon in "Hungry Tiger." (Presumably not the Mountains  
of the Moon in Africa -- I see with surprise looking at a Wikipedia entry on  
the Mountains of the Moon that there's argument over what African mountains  
these are or whether the Greek sources were repeating travellers' tales with  
no particular "real" places behind them. The usual identification is the  
Ruwenzori range, but there are others who argue for Mount Kilimanjaro or for  
Mount Abuna Yosef.) There's also Half Moon Lake in Stratovania in  
"Ozoplaning," but that probably has more to do with the shape of the lake  
than with an actual lunar connection -- although in an Oz book it's hard to  
be sure on such details. And then there's Moonlight, one of the fairies  
serving Erma, the queen of light, in "Tik-Tok" ... 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:49:16 -0600 
From: "Bell Snickle" <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> 
Subject: [Regalia] 'Magic Cloak of Oz' discussion appropriate to accompany "Queen Zixi"? 
 
Hi Everyone 
 
I'm new to the list so I apologize if this is common knowledge but is it  
appropriate to discuss Baum's "Magic Cloak of Oz" film in the context of the  
"Queen Zixi of Ix" conversation? 
 
Thank you, 
 
B. Snickle

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:45:05 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] rogues 
 
Ruth Berman wrote: 
> In re-reading, I'm just coming up on the Roly Rogues chapter, and find  
> myself feeing reluctant to read it. Zixi's decision to stop wanting what she  
> doesn't need and maybe wants precisely because she can't have it is the most  
> interesting part of the story. Going off to another invasion by a set of  
> invaders with less interesting motives seems like a weak moment in this  
> mostly strong story.  
 
As I recall, conquering the Roly-Rogues does feel like a bit of an  
anticlimax. Within the overall novel, it lets us see Zixi acting on her  
promise to reform and helping the Noland kids. Aunt Rivette gets to be  
brave. And, given how little Bud and Fluff have actually had to fear or  
suffer since arriving in Nole, the episode does raise the stakes for them. 
 
What do folks think of the change of title from THE MAGIC CLOAK (as the  
story was titled when ST. NICHOLAS serialized it) to QUEEN ZIXI OF IX?  
The latter was obviously an attempt to mirror WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ as  
MERRYLAND, MO, and YEW did, but the book could have been called THE  
MAGIC CLOAK OF NOLAND. 
 
(Returning to Nesbit parallels, her oddly titled FIVE CHILDREN AND IT  
also had a different title as a serial: the even odder THE PSAMMEAD.) 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:52:39 -0600 
From: Ivan Van Laningham <ivanlan at pauahtun.org> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] 'Magic Cloak of Oz' discussion appropriate to accompany "Queen Zixi"? 
 
Hi All-- 
Absolutely.  This is not a list run by or for sticklers and topic-Nazis.  
  I suggest that what is discussed on the list have something more or  
less to do with Oz; sometimes the less is very less.  But films are just  
as much first-class topics as the books. 
 
Metta, 
Ivan 
 
Bell Snickle wrote: 
> Hi Everyone 
>  
> I'm new to the list so I apologize if this is common knowledge but is it  
> appropriate to discuss Baum's "Magic Cloak of Oz" film in the context of the  
> "Queen Zixi of Ix" conversation? 
>  
> Thank you, 
>  
> B. Snickle

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:29:03 -0600 
From: "Bell Snickle" <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> 
Subject: [Regalia] 'The Magic Cloak of Oz' and 'Queen Zixi' 
 
Ivan - Cool, thank you for the verification. 
 
Well in honor of "Queen Zixi" I just re-watched "The Magic Cloak of Oz."  I  
enjoyed the parts that were faithful to the book but I found the whole  
sub-plot with Nikodemus the donkey and his army of animals saving little  
Mary from the band of robbers to be rather pointless.  I also found it odd  
that Baum changed the ending with the Roly-Rouges being defeated by the  
animal army and then a wish from the magic cloak.  The book's ending with  
Zixi's potion in the soup putting the Roly-Rogues to sleep would have worked  
just as well.  Better even given that the Rogues whole stated motivation for  
invading Noland was to find a new kind of soup.  And sending the Rogues back  
up the hill at the end is just setting them up to re-invade Noland as they  
point out in the book (unless of course they added a wish that the Rouges  
could never come back). 
 
I'm guessing Baum or the investors must have thought all the animals would  
appeal to children though and it gave them a chance to re-use some of the  
costumes like the Woozy from the other films.  The Lonesome Zoop is an  
oddity though, as I recall the Zoop was also in "His Majesty the Scarecrow"  
so I assume Baum must have liked it.  Does anyone know anything more about  
the character, it's interesting in that Baum never used it in any of his  
books.  And coincidentally it reminded me facially of the winged monkeys  
from the MGM film. 
 
One improvement I did like was that Zixi was cursed to always have a mirror  
with her that showed her true form.  I felt it gave her a stronger  
motivation for getting the cloak and the effects used with her looking at  
her aged reflection were nice.  They actually made her 'old' version younger  
than I pictured it in the book though I suppose the bald mummified  
description from the book would have been too horrific to show in a  
children's film. 
 
I also liked the title change (well without the gratuitous "of Oz" addition)  
as I think "The Magic Cloak" would have been a better name for the novel and  
have kept the focus as much on Bud and Fluff's growth as Zixi's. 
 
The sort of New Age music on the video is horrible though and very  
distracting.  Was there originally a piano accompaniment written and if so  
does anyone know if any copies still exist?  Also was "Queen Zixi of Ix" one  
of Baum's more popular non-Oz books?  I seem to recall reading that it was a  
favorite of his so maybe that's why he decided to make it a movie.    
Sales-wise does anyone know which of Baum's non-Oz fantasy books were the  
most successful? 
 
B. Snickle

Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 22:45:06 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: [Regalia] ZIXI details 
 
Eric Shanower wrote: 
<< 
upon the Man in the Moon seems designed for the stage.>> 
 
Oh, good point. 
 
"Bell Snickle" wrote: 
<<
as his super-ego to genuinely desiring to be a great ruler for his  
people.>> 
 
Interesting reading of Bud's character. Since he's never harmful, just  
boyish, the change is less pronounced and obvious than Zixi's or those  
of other adults. But it's there. 
 
<<
of place introducing grotesques so late into the book.>> 
 
There's a different attitude toward magic in Noland than in the settings  
of Baum's other fantasies. The people know what it is, so they know the  
implication of their wishes coming true. But the magic cloak is clearly  
a strange, disruptive force in this society, not the norn. Similarly,  
Zixi's ability to remain youthful is a rare, mysterious talent; people  
whisper that she's a witch rather than simply stating it as an obvious  
fact. 
 
Noland not only doesn't have grotesques, but people die there and  
animals don't talk. How did Bud and Fluff experience their visit to the  
much more magical land of Oz in ROAD? 
 
<<that Baum changed the ending with the Roly-Rouges being defeated by the 
animal army and then a wish from the magic cloak. The book's ending with 
Zixi's potion in the soup putting the Roly-Rogues to sleep would have  
worked 
just as well.>> 
 
But it wouldn't have allowed the filmmakers to use the "spectacular"  
(and cheap) special effect of the Roly-Rogues bouncing *up* the hill. As  
with "comic" animal scenes, I think Baum and his colleagues thought  
audience expected to see such unreal visions in fantasy films. I doubt  
that particular effect was innovative by that year, though. 
 
As costumes, the Roly-Rogues in the movie are actually rather well  
realized, as I recall. 
 
<<The Lonesome Zoop is an 
oddity though, as I recall the Zoop was also in ?His Majesty the Scarecrow? 
so I assume Baum must have liked it.  Does anyone know anything more about 
the character, it?s interesting in that Baum never used it in any of his 
books.>> 
 
I've seen the Lonesome Zoop show his face in some latter-day Oz stories,  
but in the Oz Film Company movies there's no real character development.  
The creature just seems to be a strange costume that Fred Woodward or  
someone else pulled out of his trunk. Perhaps that costume shows up  
under another name in the records of another show or movie of the time. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

L. Frank Baum, Frederick Richardson

Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:29:32 -0500 
From: "Chris Gembara" <teine_sionnic at hotmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] ZIXI details 
 
In regards to the Man in the Moon, did anyone else catch that the MM asked  
what he was needed for "again"? I wonder what other disputes he has settled  
or concerns the fairies put to him. Was he, perhaps, asked for counsel in  
the giving of the Immortality Cloak to Santa Claus? Was he there for the  
making of the thinking-cap, or the enchanted running-away boots mentioned by  
several of the fairies? 
 
Chris Gembara

Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:46:46 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] zixi 
 
"Bell Snickle" <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> wrote: 
> - Zixi's magic seemed more occult than that Baum's other magic workers  
> with the exception of Mombi's incantations in "The Land Of Oz." (Of course  
> some of this is Richardson's illustrations as well.)  But while Mombi is a  
> straight villian, Zixi's character is more nuanced.  This isn't a value  
> judgement for me but in modern America I do wonder if some parents would  
> object to her portrayal as a reformed/sympathetic character. > 
 
No doubt, but the parents who make that sort of objection don't read very  
much and probably aren't aware of the existence of the book. It's easier to  
object to famous books like "Wizard" (or, of course, the Harry Potter  
series), and one doesn't have to bother reading them to make the objection. 
 
> Well in honor of "Queen Zixi" I just re-watched "The Magic Cloak of Oz."  
> I enjoyed the parts that were faithful to the book but I found the whole  
> sub-plot with Nikodemus the donkey and his army of animals saving little  
> Mary from the band of robbers to be rather pointless.  ... I'm guessing  
> Baum or the investors must have thought all the animals would appeal to  
> children though and it gave them a chance to re-use some of the costumes  
> like the Woozy from the other films.  The Lonesome Zoop is an oddity  
> though, as I recall the Zoop was also in "His Majesty the Scarecrow" so I  
> assume Baum must have liked it.  < 
 
Pretty much all the animal characters run through most of the Oz Film  
Company Films. Besides the Zoop and Woozy, there's the donkey, a kangaroo,  
and maybe a couple more. As you say, they probably thought the animals would  
appeal to audiences. 
 
Another point of influence -- we've commented in the past on influence of  
Gilbert & Sullivan operettas on Baum (and RPT). Has the presence of the Lord  
High Executioner as a title in "Zixi" been pointed out already as another  
example of Baumian G&S? 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:15:49 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] moon help 
 
"Chris Gembara" <teine_sionnic at hotmail.com> wrote: 
> In regards to the Man in the Moon, did anyone else catch that the MM asked  
> what he was needed for "again"? I wonder what other disputes he has  
> settled or concerns the fairies put to him. Was he, perhaps, asked for  
> counsel in the giving of the Immortality Cloak to Santa Claus? Was he  
> there for the making of the thinking-cap, or the enchanted running-away  
> boots mentioned by several of the fairies? > 
 
Could be. Another possibility -- could Baum maybe have had in mind the song  
in Victor Herbert's "Babes in Toyland," "Ask the Moon" ("and he will help  
you out"). (But the Moon doesn't literally speak up with advice in the  
song -- the help is in establishing a romantic atmosphere.) 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:04:47 -0400 
From: "Nathan DeHoff" <fablesto at gmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Queen Zixi of Ix 
 
On 4/10/07, J. L. Bell <jnolbell at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> It seems significant that the foolish wishes in QUEEN ZIXI also turn out 
> to be wise wishes. The counselors, Aunt Rivette, and the chamberlain 
> learn how to take advantage of their spur-of-the-moment desires and put 
> them to use when Noland is threatened. 
 
I think this is one of the best things about the plotting of QUEEN 
ZIXI, really.  In one of Baum's more episodic narratives (like YEW, 
for instance), he might have just played the wishes off for laughs and 
then forgotten about them.  Here, though, they prove useful in the 
story.  Really, I think the Nolanders could have conquered the Ixian 
army without making a wish, but I suppose they wanted some extra 
insurance. 
 
On 4/13/07, Ruth Berman <berma005 at umn.edu> wrote: 
> A question about "Zixi" influence going the other way -- did the wish to be 
> able to reach things however far away suggest the Long-Armed Reacher to RPT 
> for "Ojo"? 
 
Possibly.  I've tried to think of other examples of characters who 
could stretch out their arms in order to reach things, but only Mr. 
Fantastic (of Marvel Comics fame) and Inspector Gadget come to mind, 
and I doubt the creators of either of those characters were thinking 
of either Tellydeb or Reachard.  OJO also has X. Pando, who is able to 
extend his body vertically.  High Boy can do something fairly similar 
to that with his legs.  But Reachard is definitely the closest to 
Tellydeb, right down to the fact that only ONE of his arms is 
extendable. 
 
Incidentally, Dickus states that EVERYONE in the town of Reach has 
extendable arms like Reachard's.  I have to imagine it would get 
fairly messy when multiple people are reaching for far-away things at 
the same time, although I suppose the eyes in their fingers help them 
avoid entanglements and the like. 
 
On 4/13/07, Bell Snickle <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> wrote: 
> - Zixi's magic seemed more occult than that Baum's other magic workers with 
> the exception of Mombi's incantations in "The Land Of Oz." (Of course some 
> of this is Richardson's illustrations as well.)  But while Mombi is a 
> straight villian, Zixi's character is more nuanced.  This isn't a value 
> judgement for me but in modern America I do wonder if some parents would 
> object to her portrayal as a reformed/sympathetic character. 
 
Baum takes care to tell us several times that Zixi is "not very bad," 
and his initial description of Aunt Rivette informs us that "[s]he was 
not a bad-hearted woman."  Perhaps he found this to be necessary 
because readers probably WOULD have thought both of them were villains 
if they only had their early actions in the story to go by.  I think 
both characters manage to redeem themselves later on, though, and in a 
more convincing and less heavy-handed way than is the case with many 
of his villains. 
 
> - Also I really enjoyed Richardson's illustrations overall.  My copy is the 
> Dover edition that has the color plates in black and white so now I think I 
> may need to upgrade to an edition with the plates in color.  I think my 
> favorite illustration though is the one of Tullydub and Aunt Rivette dancing 
> with Tullydub's wig slipping off. 
 
I do wish Richardson had made more of an effort to distinguish the 
five counselors in his illustrations.  Tollydob is described, in his 
pre-wish state, as being very short, while such does not seem to be 
the case for the others.  Yet the illustrations don't show him as any 
different in size from the other counselors.  Still, I do like the 
illustrations, and I agree with Bell Snickle that the one of Tullydub 
and Rivette dancing is one of the best.  I also think he does a good 
job with Zixi herself. 
 
Nathan

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:08:39 -0400 
From: "Nathan DeHoff" <fablesto at gmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] What's in a name? 
 
J. L. Bell: 
> What do folks think of the change of title from THE MAGIC CLOAK (as the 
> story was titled when ST. NICHOLAS serialized it) to QUEEN ZIXI OF IX? 
> The latter was obviously an attempt to mirror WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ as 
> MERRYLAND, MO, and YEW did, but the book could have been called THE 
> MAGIC CLOAK OF NOLAND. 
 
I think I like the sound of QUEEN ZIXI OF IX better, although THE 
MAGIC CLOAK sounds more like a traditional fairy tale title, and this 
was probably Baum's most traditional fairy tale (as far as his 
full-length novels go, anyway).  But then, part of that is probably 
because a lot of traditional fairy tales didn't originally HAVE names, 
and people who collected them for publication used fairly generic 
ones. 
 
Nathan

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 04:41:28 -0700 (PDT) 
From: Scott Hutchins <scottandrewhutchins at yahoo.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Queen Zixi of Ix 
 
Of course, there is Plastic Man, Elongated Man, and Mrs. Incredible. 
 
Scott Andrew Hutchins

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:41:55 -0400 
From: "Nathan DeHoff" <fablesto at gmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] THE MAGIC CLOAK OF OZ and other ZIXI-related topics 
 
On 4/14/07, Bell Snickle <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> wrote: 
> Well in honor of "Queen Zixi" I just re-watched "The Magic Cloak of Oz."  I 
> enjoyed the parts that were faithful to the book but I found the whole 
> sub-plot with Nikodemus the donkey and his army of animals saving little 
> Mary from the band of robbers to be rather pointless.  I also found it odd 
> that Baum changed the ending with the Roly-Rouges being defeated by the 
> animal army and then a wish from the magic cloak.  The book's ending with 
> Zixi's potion in the soup putting the Roly-Rogues to sleep would have worked 
> just as well. 
 
As John Bell said, this was pretty obviously an excuse for a film 
trick.  I do agree that the potion works a lot better from a narrative 
perspective, as it doesn't rely on a deus ex machina (well, unless you 
consider ANY magic to fall into that category, which I don't), and it 
allows for Zixi to redeem herself for her immoral actions earlier in 
the story. 
 
I actually think the main weakness of the film is probably its overuse 
of title cards.  I don't know much about the expectations of audiences 
of the time, but I get the idea that, with moving pictures being such 
a novel thing, they would have wanted more action and less text. 
Maybe that was why Baum felt he needed to include the animals, because 
that was an excuse for a subplot that included more comic action, and 
provided a break from a story that was far too complex to be 
accurately represented in silent action. 
 
I think it would be nice if someone were to make a new ZIXI film.  I'd 
like to see what modern effects could do for the parts of the story 
that weren't included in Baum's own movie, like the effects of the 
wishes, the Roly-Rogues' exploration of Nole, and possibly Zixi's 
conversations with the animals.  It would also be a good way to get 
Baum on the big screen without the MGM comparisons that plagued RETURN 
TO OZ. 
 
> One improvement I did like was that Zixi was cursed to always have a mirror 
> with her that showed her true form.  I felt it gave her a stronger 
> motivation for getting the cloak and the effects used with her looking at 
> her aged reflection were nice.  They actually made her 'old' version younger 
> than I pictured it in the book though I suppose the bald mummified 
> description from the book would have been too horrific to show in a 
> children's film. 
 
I really don't think the actress they got to play Zixi was 
particularly attractive.  Yes, standards of beauty differ, but I wish 
they'd found someone who was closer in appearance to the Richardson 
illustrations, or at least to how she was described in the text.  She 
wasn't even blonde, was she? 
 
On 4/14/07, J. L. Bell <jnolbell at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> Noland not only doesn't have grotesques, but people die there and 
> animals don't talk. How did Bud and Fluff experience their visit to the 
> much more magical land of Oz in ROAD? 
 
It was probably pretty similar to how Inga and Rinkitink reacted to 
it, seeing as how they also lived in much less magical lands where 
talking animals were the exception rather than the rule.  I do think 
exploring the foreign guests' reactions to Oz when visiting in ROAD 
would make for an interesting story, though. 
 
There seems to be a trend in Baum's books of the more magical kingdoms 
being isolated from the others.  While Baum probably didn't originally 
intend for all of his fantasy countries to share a landmass, he took 
care to separate places like Oz, Mo, and Merryland from the rest of 
the world, by means of deserts and mountains.  This is probably one 
reason why he didn't see much trouble in placing the really weird 
Merryland right next to the relatively normal Noland, as it would have 
been quite unlikely that very many people would travel from one to the 
other.  There is a mention in WISHING HORSE of Skamperoo having 
visited Merryland, though, so access from the more normal Nonestican 
lands is apparently possible.  And Ev, which shares some of the 
oddities in Oz (some animals can talk, there are several sorts of 
grotesques, and lunch boxes and dinner pails grow on trees) does not 
appear to be difficult to get to from Ix.  Randy and Kabumpo make the 
journey from one to the other fairly easily in SILVER PRINCESS. 
Whether the people of Ix or Noland fear or envy their more magical 
neighbors is something that the FF authors really didn't explore (with 
the aforementioned exception of Skamperoo, who complains about Oz 
being "one of those magic places where one just snaps the fingers to 
get what he wants"). 
 
> As costumes, the Roly-Rogues in the movie are actually rather well 
> realized, as I recall. 
 
Yes, they were one of the better visual aspects in the film. 
 
And while I'm on the subject of the film, I'll mention two other 
oddities that I noticed in watching it.  In addition to naming the 
donkey Nickodemus, the movie refers to the river where Bud and Fluff 
used to live as the Vinegar River.  And, in an odd twist that doesn't 
really affect the plot, Aunt Rivette is given psychic powers. 
 
Nathan

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 10:29:12 -0700 (PDT) 
From: Tom DeWitt <silverscorpion007 at yahoo.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Queen Zixi of Ix 
 
You also forgot Mister Fantastic and Jimmy Olsen when 
he was Elastic Lad. 
 
Tom De Witt 
Oz fan and comic book buff. 
--- Scott Hutchins <scottandrewhutchins at yahoo.com> 
wrote: 
 
> Of course, there is Plastic Man, Elongated Man, and 
> Mrs. Incredible. 
>   
> Scott Andrew Hutchins

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:11:50 -0700 (PDT) 
From: Scott Hutchins <scottandrewhutchins at yahoo.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Queen Zixi of Ix 
 
Mr. Fantastic was already mentioned. 
 
There's also Flatman from GL-X, who is also an example of a gay superhero. 
 
Scott Andrew Hutchins 
 
  
 
----- Original Message ---- 
> From: Tom DeWitt <silverscorpion007 at yahoo.com> 
> To: "A discussion, idea and scholarly list for fans of Oz" <regalia at pumperdink.org> 
> Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2007 1:29:12 PM 
> Subject: Re: [Regalia] Queen Zixi of Ix 
>  
>  
> You also forgot Mister Fantastic and Jimmy Olsen when 
> he was Elastic Lad. 
>  
> Tom De Witt 
> Oz fan and comic book buff.

Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 15:38:46 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: [Regalia] mo' ZIXI 
 
Nathan DeHoff wrote: 
<<Baum takes care to tell us several times that Zixi is "not very bad," 
and his initial description of Aunt Rivette informs us that "[s]he was 
not a bad-hearted woman."  Perhaps he found this to be necessary 
because readers probably WOULD have thought both of them were villains 
if they only had their early actions in the story to go by.>> 
 
In addition, ZIXI is set in a more traditional fairy-tale world than  
some of Baum's other fantasy novels, so he and his editors might have  
expected readers to assume that Aunt Rivette was like a wicked  
stepmother and Zixi like a wicked witch-queen. 
 
<<There seems to be a trend in Baum's books of the more magical kingdoms 
being isolated from the others.  While Baum probably didn't originally 
intend for all of his fantasy countries to share a landmass, he took 
care to separate places like Oz, Mo, and Merryland from the rest of 
the world, by means of deserts and mountains. >> 
 
In EMERALD CITY and TIK-TOK Ozma and Glinda discuss the isolation of Oz  
as a Good Thing. Without the desert and invisible barrier, they say, too  
many people would come into Oz. Presumably the first places they'd come  
from would be nearby, less magical lands like Noland and Boboland, and  
later from our Great Outside World. 
 
But as you note, he presented Oz and Mo as isolated from the beginning.  
That seems tied to two things. First, there's the question from logical  
young readers of why, if these wonderful countries exist, we haven't  
heard of them already, or even moved there by now? A geographic barrier  
or two can preserve the verisimilitude. 
 
Second, when Baum tied the loss of visible magic to "civilization," he  
had to explain why some countries remain "uncivilized." Isolation offers  
such an explanation. 
 
It's interesting that some very isolated parts of Oz, such as the top of  
Mount Munch, the Yip Country, and Jinxland, are quite like other rural  
parts of the country. But there are artificially isolated communities  
behind walls and other barriers with their own lifestyles. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:25:31 -0400 
From: "Nathan DeHoff" <fablesto at gmail.com> 
Subject: [Regalia] QUEEN ZIXI miscellanea 
 
The discussion for QUEEN ZIXI seems to have petered out somewhat, but 
here are a few miscellanous observations that I'd like to make before 
we move on. 
 
I don't believe anyone has ever posted a chronology for ZIXI, but I 
noticed on this reading that less time than I had originally thought 
seems to pass during the course of the story.  After the army of Ix is 
defeated, Zixi almost immediately transforms herself into Adlena and 
seeks a job at the palace of Noland.  After that, "it was not many 
days before she learned where the magic cloak was kept" (ch. 15), and 
she steals it the day after that.  She then tries wishing, and casts 
the cloak aside when her wish fails.  When she returns to the lilac 
grove with Bud and Fluff, she tells the old shepherd that she had lost 
the cloak "[s]everal days ago."  The implication seems to be that very 
little time passed in between the Zixi's invasion and that of the 
Roly-Rogues (and people think OZ is invaded often), yet it was still 
enough time for the Nolanders to feel that "[a]ll wars and dangers 
seemed at an end" (as per ch. 17).  It also means that Bud and Fluff 
are very quick to trust the woman who had just recently attacked them. 
It might have made more sense for the "several days" to have been 
changed to, say, "several months," but then it would hardly have been 
a surprise that the cloak was no longer in the grove.  So perhaps 
Adlena stayed in the palace longer than the "it was not many days" 
comment suggests, but it's also possible that events just happened 
very quickly in this part of the story. 
 
A few different sports are mentioned in the story.  Princess Fluff is 
playing tennis when she first meets Adlena, and Bud later plays a game 
that involves hitting a ball with a bat.  He is also familiar with 
footballs, although the Roly-Rogues are not. 
 
How Lulea determines which wishes are "foolish" is not entirely clear. 
Granted, the wishes to make Ruffles talk and extend Tellydeb's arm 
were MADE foolishly, but they had some definite advantages and no 
clearly defined disadvantages.  She does leave the royal purse 
continually filled, but as long as this remains a secret to the court 
of Noland, I suppose it isn't likely to result in a massive 
devaluation of the country's currency.  Her refusal to grant Zixi's 
wish doesn't seem to be to teach her a lesson or keep her humble, but 
simply because "we fairies do not approve of witchcraft."  I don't 
believe there is any indication as to whether Aunt Rivette keeps her 
wings; it would be thematically consistent for Lulea to have taken 
them away, but I suppose someone could use the lack of mention as a 
loophole if they wanted to write a sequel with a winged Rivette. 
 
The never-empty purse is an idea that Baum had earlier used in "The 
Queen of Quok," although ZIXI doesn't give it the comical limitation 
of only producing fifty cents at a time.  On a similar note, the 
method by which Bud is declared king is very similar to how Old King 
Cole receives his crown in MOTHER GOOSE IN PROSE. 
 
Nathan

Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 22:09:22 -0500 
From: "Chris Gembara" <teine_sionnic at hotmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] QUEEN ZIXI miscellanea 
 
>I don't believe anyone has ever posted a chronology for ZIXI, but I 
>noticed on this reading that less time than I had originally thought 
>seems to pass during the course of the story. 
I'm sure someone's done a chronolgy for WIZARD, but I haven't seen that  
either. Anyway, both adventures are rather short--at least relative to what  
occurs during them. Heck, I think Bud becomes King the day after the  
previous King died. I don't even remember a memorial service for the  
previous King. The court was so preoccupied with finding a new king before  
the bedsheets went cold that the old King seemed to have winked out of  
existence magically. 
 
>A few different sports are mentioned in the story.  Princess Fluff is 
>playing tennis when she first meets Adlena, and Bud later plays a game 
>that involves hitting a ball with a bat.  He is also familiar with 
>footballs, although the Roly-Rogues are not. 
Are you implying that the sports are significant to the story? If they are  
at all, it was probably to show American boys and girls that Nolanders were  
just like them. Even the King and Princess could be like normal children! 
 
>Her refusal to grant Zixi's wish doesn't seem to be to teach her a lesson 
>or keep her humble, but simply because "we fairies do not approve of  
>witchcraft." 
This is probably because during the early 20th century, and well before  
that, witches were accused of associating with evil spirits. As fairies are  
meant to be "good" spirits, they are likely upset or ashamed that witches  
don't associate with them. On top of that, witches practice magic with tools  
and technology, rather than naturally like the fairies. Perhaps the fairies  
are simply afraid of the technology or don't understand it. That, and  
they've seen what humans are capable of doing when it comes to technology.  
Notice that the only witch Ozma approves of is the Good Witch of the North.  
Of course Glinda is technically a witch, but her role had changed into a  
sorceress. In GLINDA, it seems that Ozma didn't even approve of the Adepts,  
despite their obvious helpfulness and kindness. 
 
Chris Gembara

Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:58:05 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] QUEEN ZIXI miscellanea 
 
Nathan DeHoff wrote: 
<<Bud...is also familiar with footballs, although the Roly-Rogues are not.>> 
 
Given the Roly-Rogues' round shape, these are presumably what we modern  
Americans would call soccer balls. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:53:53 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: [Regalia] ZIXI and Queen Bess 
 
Does anyone find Queen Zixi reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth I toward the  
end of her reign? 
 
Both were powerful, wise, and unmarried female rulers who had sat on  
their thrones for a long time. Sources describe how Elizabeth had lost  
much of her hair and teeth, yet continued to powder and paint and primp  
herself to look youthful. 
 
Zixi has magic to maintain her looks, but in reality she would look like  
Elizabeth without her makeup and wig: 
+++++++ 
To mortal eyes Zixi was charming and attractive, yet her reflection in a  
mirror showed to her an ugly old hag, bald of head, wrinkled, with  
toothless gums and withered, sunken cheeks. 
+++++++ 
 
Illustrations of Zixi, both by Richardson and by Neill in ROAD, seem  
based on early-modern court dress. Not necessarily late Tudor fashion,  
but reminiscent of it from this distance. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:53:56 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] QUEEN ZIXI miscellanea 
 
Chris Gembara wrote: 
> I'm sure someone's done a chronolgy for WIZARD, but I haven't seen that  
> either. Anyway, both adventures are rather short--at least relative to what  
> occurs during them.  
 
I think Nathan DeHoff was referring to Kenneth Shepherd's day-to-day  
chronological analysis of the original forty Oz novels: 
http://www.timelineuniverse.net/Oz/ChronologyofOz.htm
It's an interesting piece of work, and I bet you'll enjoy it. 
 
As I turns out, WIZARD seems to take place over more days than most of  
Baum's other Oz books. It's impossible to determine how long, but  
Dorothy spends several days waiting for the Wizard, and several more  
working for the Wicked Witch. There are rarely such pauses in the other  
adventures. Even when Dorothy or other protagonists SEEM to be held  
captive for a long time, as in OZMA, they actually spend only a day or  
two in confinement. 
 
>> Her refusal to grant Zixi's wish doesn't seem to be to teach her a lesson 
>> or keep her humble, but simply because "we fairies do not approve of  
>> witchcraft." 
> This is probably because during the early 20th century, and well before  
> that, witches were accused of associating with evil spirits. As fairies are  
> meant to be "good" spirits, they are likely upset or ashamed that witches  
> don't associate with them.  
 
Baum tended to argue against the idea that witchcraft is inherently bad,  
however, as in "The Witchcraft of Mary-Marie" and WIZARD itself. Perhaps  
he was influenced by his mother-in-law's writing on religion. 
 
At the same time, he portrayed fairies as having great knowledge of the  
natural and magical order, given their age and status. So we have to  
assume Lulea has a valid reason for her disapproval. 
 
ZIXI doesn't need to be completely compatible with Baum's other  
fantasies, of course. But we might consider that Lulea really  
disapproves of HOW Zixi uses witchcraft. The queen's main goal seems to  
be acting against nature by staving off death and disguising her  
appearance rather than, say, helping people. (She DOES help her people,  
but not with her magic.) 
 
> In GLINDA, it seems that Ozma didn't even approve of the Adepts,  
> despite their obvious helpfulness and kindness. 
 
How do you get that? 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:46:28 -0400 
From: "Nathan DeHoff" <fablesto at gmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] QUEEN ZIXI miscellanea 
 
Chris Gembara: 
> >A few different sports are mentioned in the story.  Princess Fluff is 
> >playing tennis when she first meets Adlena, and Bud later plays a game 
> >that involves hitting a ball with a bat.  He is also familiar with 
> >footballs, although the Roly-Rogues are not. 
> Are you implying that the sports are significant to the story? 
 
Not so much that they're significant as that they show up more often 
than I had remembered; and that, despite the old-fashioned feel of the 
story in general, they're sports that a child of the time would have 
found familiar. 
 
On 4/30/07, J. L. Bell <jnolbell at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> Baum tended to argue against the idea that witchcraft is inherently bad, 
> however, as in "The Witchcraft of Mary-Marie" and WIZARD itself. Perhaps 
> he was influenced by his mother-in-law's writing on religion. 
> 
> At the same time, he portrayed fairies as having great knowledge of the 
> natural and magical order, given their age and status. So we have to 
> assume Lulea has a valid reason for her disapproval. 
> 
> ZIXI doesn't need to be completely compatible with Baum's other 
> fantasies, of course. But we might consider that Lulea really 
> disapproves of HOW Zixi uses witchcraft. The queen's main goal seems to 
> be acting against nature by staving off death and disguising her 
> appearance rather than, say, helping people. (She DOES help her people, 
> but not with her magic.) 
 
Yes, while Zixi is a good queen, I don't think she could qualify as a 
good witch in the same sense as Glinda or Tattypoo.  I was trying to 
think the other day as to whether there were any other good witches in 
Baum's fantasies after WIZARD, and couldn't think of any offhand.  I 
had forgotten about Mary-Marie, but was that story written before or 
after WIZARD? 
 
Nathan

Date: Tue, 01 May 2007 16:18:38 -0400 
From: "J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] QUEEN ZIXI miscellanea 
 
Nathan DeHoff wrote: 
> Yes, while Zixi is a good queen, I don't think she could qualify as a 
> good witch in the same sense as Glinda or Tattypoo.  I was trying to 
> think the other day as to whether there were any other good witches in 
> Baum's fantasies after WIZARD, and couldn't think of any offhand.  I 
> had forgotten about Mary-Marie, but was that story written before or 
> after WIZARD? 
 
"Mary-Marie" was not in the 1901 edition of AMERICAN FAIRY TALES, but  
was in the 1908 edition, which implies that Baum wrote it between those  
dates. The first witch in that story turns out to be both a good witch  
and not a witch at all. Mary-Marie also becomes a "good witch." 
 
Rosalie, the witch of the Pinks in SKY ISLAND, says, "I've always tried  
to be a good witch and to do my duty." 
 
Baum mentions the Good Witch of the North several times after WIZARD,  
but he doesn't label anyone a "Good Witch" the same way. Then again, he  
doesn't name people simply as "Wicked Witches" after WIZARD and rarely  
gives them such a bald label, even when they behave wickedly. Blinkie in  
SCARECROW is an exception, but she's an obvious refraction of the Wicked  
Witch of the West and Mombi through the lens used for HIS MAJESTY, THE  
SCARECROW OF OZ. 
 
J. L. Bell                 JnoLBell at earthlink.net 
 
    Musings about some of my favorite 
    fantasy literature for young readers. 
    http://ozandends.blogspot.com

Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 14:29:38 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] zixi details 
 
"J. L. Bell" <jnolbell at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> Does anyone find Queen Zixi reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth I toward the  
> end of her reign? > 
 
No, but now that you mention it, it seems like a possible role-model. 
 
"Nathan DeHoff" <fablesto at gmail.com> wrote: 
> [sports] show up more often than I had remembered; and that, despite the  
> old-fashioned feel of the story in general, they're sports that a child of  
> the time would have found familiar. > 
 
Ruth Plumly Thompson sort of picked up on that point in her short story,  
"The Magic Cloak," which starts with the same basic situation as Zixi (bored  
fairy queen weaves a wish-granting magic cloak and gives it to a human  
child), but then has the queen's boredom cured by having the boy teach her  
to play football, an activity that she finds interesting enough to be sure  
of freedom (for some considerable time, anyway) from boredom. 
 
> while Zixi is a good queen, I don't think she could qualify as a good  
> witch in the same sense as Glinda or Tattypoo.  I was trying to think the  
> other day as to whether there were any other good witches in Baum's  
> fantasies after WIZARD, and couldn't think of any offhand.  I had  
> forgotten about Mary-Marie, but was that story written before or after  
> WIZARD? > 
 
It was probably written after 1901, as he didn't include it in the first  
edition of "American Fairy Tales," but did include it in the 1908 edition.  
So it's probably after "Wizard." Another good witch is Rosalie in "Sky  
Island" (1912). 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 12:31:35 -0600 
From: "Bell Snickle" <bell-snickle at hotmail.com> 
Subject: [Regalia] Queen Zixi's success? 
 
Hi everyone 
 
Does anyone know how well "Queen Zixi of Ix" did sales-wise for Baum? 
 
Thanks, 
 
B. Snickle

Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 16:31:31 -0700 
From: "Peter E. Hanff" <phanff at library.berkeley.edu> 
Subject: [Regalia] Sales of Queen Zixi of Ix 

So far as I know, sales records of the Century Company (publisher of 
_Queen Zixi of Ix_) haven't been located for _Zixi_. However we 
have secondary evidence that the book must have been a somewhat steady 
seller. 
 
There are two printings with the original two-color text illustrations 
throughout. Then, in 1915, 1919, 1920, and 1922, Century published black 
and white reprints. For the black and white printings, the original text 
illustrations were printed without the complementary second colors, and 
the color plates were incorporated into the text block as part of the 
text sheets. 
 
This latter required creating a new layout for the printing plates, 
probably involved new engravings of the full-page illustrations so they 
could be locked into the printing plate layout, and preserved the 
original pagination of the book, which had counted the sixteen color 
plates as part of the pagination. Thus the color plate facing page 24, 
though itself unnumbered on recto or verso, is followed by page 27 of the 
text. The former color plates in the later black and white printings were 
simply printed as part of the text sheets. 
 
Patrick Maund, in his treatment of _Zixi_ in the still-unpublished 
_Bibliographia Oziana_, mentions that two later editions of note 
were published: a version in 1969 put out in Hong Kong by Opium Books 
with illustrations by Lau Shiu Fan (a March Laumer production); and  
another, in 1971, with the original illustrations by Frederick 
Richardson, by Dover Publications. He also describes two variant copies, 
both with the imprint of London, Hodder & Stoughton, preserved in the 
British Library. 
 
Peter

Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:31:44 -0600 
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at umn.edu> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Regalia Digest, Vol 5, Issue 13 
 
A belated Zixi thought -- one of the things Baum does to mark off how  
different his idea of witchcraft is from the traditional-all-evil-idea is in  
his refusal to show Zixi's true appearance. He tells us that she is old and  
withered, but she is never exposed to the other characters (and thus not  
exposed to the readers, either), only to herself. The more traditional  
plotting, as in Spenser's treatment of Duessa, the wicked enchantress in  
"The Faery Queene" (I've been re-reading it), is to have the wicked  
magic-worker stripped of her enchantments and exposed in her aged ugliness  
(female old age being treated as necessarily ugly -- at least, with the  
addition of a few non-human elements, such as Duessa's fox-tail). 
 
Ruth Berman

Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:05:55 -0700 (PDT) 
From: Scott Hutchins <scottandrewhutchins at yahoo.com> 
Subject: Re: [Regalia] Regalia Digest, Vol 5, Issue 13 
 
In order to make the film more visual, though, Zixi is forced to have a mirror, rather than having 
had all of the mirrors banished.  Although there was clearly the visual element that was given 
primacy in this situation, it nevertheless pulls the film a little closer to the tradition of which Ruth is 
referring.  I don't think it falls back on tradition as much as MGM decided to with Wizard, but it's 
definitely a move in that direction. 
 
Scott Andrew Hutchins

Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:49:26 -0700
From: Ivan Van Laningham <ivanlan at pauahtun.org>
Subject: [Regalia] One more item for Zixi

Hi All--
My partner, Audrey Thompson, was asked to co-curate an exhibition at the 
Utah Museum of Fine Arts, "Cinderella:  Masks, Magic, and Mirrors."

http://www.umfa.utah.edu/

As part of her research for the exhibition, she's had me scan hundreds 
of images and articles, and has kept researching even after the 
exhibition opened.  A couple of days ago, she brought home a perfectly 
lovely book, _Old Old Tales Retold_, illustrated by Frederick 
Richardson, M.A. Donohue & Company.  Copyright is by P.F. Volland 
Company, Chicago, U.S.A, 1923.

Since it's still under copyright (damn that mouse), I'm not able to post 
the whole thing, so I will settle for just one illustration.  This is 
from "The Old Woman and Her Pig," and appears on p. 67:

http://www.pumperdink.org/BCF/f-richardson-1V.jpg

The artist's style between this book and ZIXI seems to me to have gone 
through the same sort of evolution that Neill did, in that both seem to 
have become simplified, less ornate; however, these later illustrations 
by Richardson don't appear to me to have the rushed quality of Neill's 
pictures for the later Thompson books.

Metta,
Ivan
--
Ivan Van Laningham
God N Locomotive Works
http://www.andi-holmes.com/
http://www.python.org/workshops/1998-11/proceedings/papers/laningham/laningham.html
Army Signal Corps: Cu Chi, Class of '70
Author: Teach Yourself Python in 24 Hours