| Wicked is the story of Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west in The Wizard of Oz. Her tale begins with an adulterous conception - a travelling stranger gives a strange potion to her mother. Much of her unhappy childhood is skipped. She has green skin and is allergic to water, so of course she's regarded as a freak. Her sister, the wicked witch of the east, was born with no arms, so she too is looked on unfavorably. But the two go off to college, and meet with all manner of beings in this fantasyscape. It is in college that Elphaba develops a desire for political change. She ends up dropping out and living incognito in the city of Oz, where she takes a lover. The next portion of the novel describes her adulthood in yet another land where she evolves into her reputation, biologically engineering monkeys with wings, taking jaunts on her broomstick and hearing about Dorothy and her mission.
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - a powerful magician Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Descript. of chases or violence - 10 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40 % Main Character Identity: - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's If magical mental powers: - can talk to animals - can see into the future - can fly - can cast many different spells - is very quick - can read emotions Main Adversary Identity: - society How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book. Setting Earth setting: - 20th century Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture scientific jargon? (SF only) - an average amount of scientific explanation Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - actual description of sex How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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