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Abstract
L. Frank Baum is best known for his book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a story of a young girl named Dorothy who has an abundance of adventure. It is lauded by many as "the quintessential American Fairy Tale" (Riley 3), and it has become the inspiration for many different adaptations. Danielle Paige, the author of the Dorothy Must Die series, creates a new tale in which Amy Gumm, a teenager from Kansas, must kill the evil dictator Dorothy before she destroys Oz completely. This thesis will analyze how Paige transforms Baum’s classic tale into a modern, young adult retelling that both supports and flouts feminist ideals. By dissecting the roles of mothers, analyzing oppressive clothing and accoutrement, and reflecting on how agency and personhood are attributed to gender, this thesis aims to encourage the lifelong questioning and evolution of the term feminism in both literature and society.