Book Anatomy · The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 78 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
2,874 different words. On average 45 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 1,160 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
lion, witch, scarecrow, wicked, brains. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 12.94 words ending in 'ly' and 5.52 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 3.5% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 7.4% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 30% of sentences: the, i, but, so, then.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| the | 206 |
| i | 155 |
| but | 127 |
| so | 78 |
| then | 72 |
| they | 70 |
| it | 67 |
| and | 67 |
| when | 57 |
| she | 56 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.58 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
95 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 2.41 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 6: It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings. Toto was not gray; he was a little black dog, …
Ch 1, para 16: The north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air is …
Ch 1, para 17: It was very dark, and the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy found she was riding quite easily. After the first few whirls around, and one other …
Ch 2, para 5: While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were …
Ch 2, para 5: While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were …
Ch 2, para 6: Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with …
The book uses similes sparingly but effectively, mostly comparing unfamiliar magical things to familiar ones. Examples include the Tin Woodman's heart compared to silk and sawdust, and the china country's fragility. Few metaphors appear; the work favours direct description.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 16, Ch 20
But, alas! I had now no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and did not care whether I married her or not. (Ch 5, para 47)
There,” said he; “now you have a heart that any man might be proud of. (Ch 16, para 27)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 64%, sound 20%, touch 13%, smell 2%, taste 1%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 318 |
| sound | 101 |
| touch | 66 |
| smell | 9 |
| taste | 6 |
Sight dominates throughout, with vivid colour contrasts between grey Kansas and bright magical lands. Sound appears in dialogue and wind. Touch features in physical encounters. Smell and taste are nearly absent, fitting a children's adventure.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 10, Ch 11
Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. (Ch 1, para 3)
The cyclone had set the house down very gently—for a cyclone—in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. (Ch 2, para 4)
Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind you. (Ch 10, para 55)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
19 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.48 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three are frequent: three companions seek gifts, three attacks by the Witch, three steps of the Silver Shoes. Repetition of 'yellow brick road' anchors the journey. The phrase 'no place like home' echoes across chapters.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 23
No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home. (Ch 4, para 9)
Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one last good-bye she clapped the heels of her shoes together three times (Ch 23, para 34)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: art.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| art | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
The book shows rather than tells character traits. The Scarecrow proves clever through action, the Tin Woodman through kindness, the Lion through bravery, rather than being described as such. Dorothy's longing is shown through her tears and words, not narration.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 13, Ch 21
But I do not want people to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to know anything? (Ch 3, para 49)
I know it,” said the Lion, hanging his head in shame. “I’ve always known it. But how can I help it? (Ch 6, para 13)
Then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed with sharp claws, he knocked the spider’s head from its body. (Ch 21, para 23)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is woven into action rather than preceding it. When Dorothy arrives in Oz, the beauty is revealed as she walks and reacts. Settings emerge through what characters do and encounter, not through static passages.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 19, Ch 20
The cyclone had set the house down very gently—for a cyclone—in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. (Ch 2, para 4)
Toward evening they came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick. (Ch 4, para 29)
Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. (Ch 20, para 11)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 5.49 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| saw | 58 |
| thought | 52 |
| knew | 29 |
| seemed | 26 |
| heard | 22 |
| felt | 14 |
| watched | 7 |
| wondered | 4 |
| noticed | 4 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from domestic realism in Kansas to wonder in Oz, then to peril during the Witch's attacks, then to humour when Oz is revealed as a humbug. The final chapters return to warmth as Dorothy nears home.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 15, Ch 24
No, you are all wrong,” said the little man meekly. “I have been making believe. (Ch 15, para 41)
You’re more than that,” said the Scarecrow, in a grieved tone; “you’re a humbug. (Ch 15, para 46)
From the Land of Oz,” said Dorothy gravely. “And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I’m so glad to be at home again! (Ch 24, para 4)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy arises from character contradictions: the Cowardly Lion's shame, the Scarecrow's worry about brains, the Tin Woodman's sentimentality. Oz's exposure as a humbug using tricks generates humour. Physical comedy appears in encounters with china people and Hammer-Heads.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 20, Ch 22
I know it,” said the Lion, hanging his head in shame. “I’ve always known it. But how can I help it? (Ch 6, para 13)
No, you are all wrong,” said the little man meekly. “I have been making believe. (Ch 15, para 41)
You’re more than that,” said the Scarecrow, in a grieved tone; “you’re a humbug. (Ch 15, para 46)
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