Bates, Laura Raidonis. "Sweet Sorrow": The Universal Theme of Separation in Folklore and Children's Literature. The Lion and the Unicorn 31.1 (2007) 48-64. The Johns Hopkins University Press. 2007

In this article, Laura Bates looks at a common storyline for females in fairytales: separation, trials/tests, and reunion. In it she examines six stories: “Hansel & Gretel”, “The Juniper Tree”, “The Deserted Children”, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, “The Wizard of Oz”, and “Peter Pan”. She argues against the idea that women are portrayed weakly in fairy tales only to be saved by a prince Charming. Alternatively, in these stories the women not only successfully take care of themselves, but often take care of others as well. The men become dependent on the women. In the tales, the first stage of the story is separation. Sometimes the separation is caused by the parents as in Hansel and Gretel, but sometimes the separation is due to the child’s action as in The Wizard of Oz or Peter Pan. The next stage of the story is a quest or a trial. Girls often initially respond with fear or tears, as would be expected from society for a young girl. However, they always have to summon some sort of inner strength to overcome obstacles. Dorothy’s quest is to follow the Yellow Brick Road to eventually return home. Her quest is both psychological and physical. She discovers things about herself she didn’t realize such as her courage and empathy. The last stage of the story is the homecoming and reunion. Bates states that homecoming is a natural desire that stems from separation, but it is not a guaranteed outcome. In Dorothy’s case, she vanquished the wicked witch and discovered (with the help of Toto) the deception of the Wizard. However, we learn that Dorothy didn’t really need to do those things and perhaps all she needed was the ability to believe in herself.

This common theme in stories is important because it must help lend to their popularity. The common stages of separation, quest, and reunion are seen time and time again and thus must contain some quality that is attractive to the mass audience. In this sense, this aspect of the Wizard of Oz can also help lend to its popularity. The question, however, remains as to why such storylines are favored. It is perhaps due to the general idea of female empowerment that people enjoy. Alternatively, Bates suggests that gender roles allow female lead characters to incorporate magical beings into the story because females embrace their natural surroundings, while males separate themselves from it. Humans may have an innate desire and fascination with magic and thus these types of stories allow them to be incorporated. Whatever the reason, Dorothy surely goes through the three stages identified by Bates, and shows that a girl can be just as heroic as anyone else.

Baumann, Steven. "Wisdom, Compassion, and Courage in The Wizard of Oz: A Humanbecoming Hermeneutic Study" Nursing Science Quarterly, Volume 21 Number 4, October 2008, 322-329, 2008 Sage Publications

This article is a humanbecoming hermeutic study of The Wizard of Oz, which concludes with an application of the story and its lessons to the profession of nursing. The humanbecoming school of thought depends on the notion that humans are indivisible, unpredictable, and ever-changing. The goal is to study lived human experiences captured in works of art. The article argues that the Wizard of Oz captures wisdom, compassion, and courage. The process in which they study the work involves becoming completely engaged in it, from constantly listening to the soundtrack, watching the movie innumerable times, and reading the book several times over. The intense immersion is argued to bring new and deeper meanings to the story. They find that courage, compassion, and wisdom are displayed through Dorothy, as well as the scarecrow, tin man, and lion. While the scarecrow claims not to have a brain, he is able to speak and make intelligent comments. It is not until the Wizard helps him to realize though that he has had a brain all along. Similarly, Dorothy had the ability to go home all along; she just needed to learn how to use it. While the tin-man claims not to have a heart, it is his emotional moaning that leads Dorothy to find him in the first place. Finally, while the lion claims not to have courage, the wizard argues that he has wisdom to stay out of danger. The conclusion for the audience is the discovery that wisdom, courage, and compassion are always a part of the human life.

This article is very on point in discovering or answering the core of my question. Written for nursing students, the goal of the article was to explore ways for nurses to become better people and have better relationships with their patients. In doing so, they helped to answer some questions of why the film the Wizard of Oz is so entertaining still today, over 50 years later. In somewhat of an irony I think, this type of study assumes that humans are always changing, and yet these experiences with courage, compassion, and wisdom seem to be static themes in human lives. Another briefly mentioned theme is the idea of hope and there is always a better place. This study explores how important hope is in human lives and how we can really relate to Dorothy’s experience in Oz. In addition, it is a story of discovery of the meaning of three qualities integral in a person’s life: courage, wisdom, and compassion.

Index to english language short stories in published compilations and anthologies, 19th century-present. A thorough subject index allows for searching by theme. The 1953 volume includes retrospective indexing of collections back to the 19th century, while supplementary volumes index works to the present.
Van Pelt Reference Stacks: PN3373 .S566

Provides a short thematic index to short stories and novels about sports.
Van Pelt Library Reference: PS374.S76 B87 1987

A bibliography of american novels published in the first half of the 20th century that include social themes. Westerns, detective stories and juvenile literature are mostly excluded. The extensive subject index includes themes such as adolescence, alcoholism, prostitution, race problems and socialism.
Van Pelt Library: PS374.U5 H35 1985

Bibliography of English language novels, anthologized short stories, and fictionalized personal narratives about the immigrant experience in America. Themes covered in the index include places, states, political and social activities (intermarriage, union involvement, generational conflict, etc.), and types of employment. Van Pelt Library Reference: PS374.I48 S56 1995

Annotated bibliography of novels about films, the film industry, film-related characters, and film-related settings.
Van Pelt Library: PS374.H55 S54 1995

This bibliography is old but has a valuable subject index to historical novels and tales.
Van Pelt Library: Z5917.H6 N6 1929b

Van Pelt Library: PS374.J48 B59

Annotated bibliography of British gothic novels. The extensive motif index includes terms such as convent, abduction, corpse, ghost, wedding, and other typically gothic motifs.
Van Pelt Library: PR868.T3 T7

Valuable index to works of fiction written in English and published 1945-1960. Useful supplement to the Short Story Index, covering novels and other works not included there.
Van Pelt Library: Z5916 .C78 1960

Covers short fiction published 1896-1967 in the Saturday Evening Post.
Van Pelt Library: PS374.I49 B45 2001

Harper's Weekly online from 1857-1912. After you enter the database choose the option to 'Search' and then choose 'Literary Synopses' to search for themes. It is also possible to use the finding aid for 'Literary Genre' to search for genres of fictional works.

The unfortunately small subject index is limited to three motifs: indians, oriental(ism), and slavery.
Van Pelt Library: PS375 .P57 2002

Includes digitized images of the pages of 1,100 American magazines and journals published from colonial days to the dawn of the 20th century. Titles range from Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine to popular magazines (some still in print) such as Vanity Fair and Ladies' Home Journal. No true theme index is provided--searches must be by key word.

This bibliography provides a theme index to modern short stories about Indian characters written post 1890 by American authors for adult audiences. Examples of themes include Apache, attack, capture, drunken Indian, exploitation and outcast.
Van Pelt Library: PS374.I49 B44

Wilson, Michael. "Lawrence of Arabia: Elements and Facets of the Theme." Cineaste: America's Leading Magazine on the Art and Politics of the Cinema 21.4 (1995): 30-32.

Michael Wilson’s article, although brief, acts as a valuable starting point for research on Lawrence of Arabia.  Wilson highlights the important themes that arise when studying the portrayal of T. E. Lawrence’s character in the epic film, and the various complexities and contradictions that arise when attempting to unravel the mystery that lies behind the man.  Presented in the format of a numbered list, Wilson extends his proposal of each subject matter with a brief description and an argument as to its relevance in providing a deeper understanding of the film’s underlying messages.  He covers such themes as the marginal status of T. E. Lawrence within Great Britain, Lawrence’s desire for fame and the immortality that comes with it, and even his secret admiration and devotion to a mysterious figure known only by the initials ‘S.A.’

"Includes 450 topics (e.g., amnesia, butlers, football, lookalikess) and major series, with a narrative discussion of each and a list of films (selective for subjects, complete for series) by date. Primarily English-language sound films and television movies. No index. A 2nd ed. [THIS] in paperback adds about 100 thematic categories."(Balay, Guide to reference books, 11th ed, 1996)