Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad

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Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad
AuntJanesNiecesAbroad.jpg
First edition
Author L. Frank Baum
(as "Edith Van Dyne")
IllustratorEmile A. Nelson
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult fiction
Publisher Reilly & Britton
Publication date
1907
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages347 pp.
Preceded by Aunt Jane's Nieces  
Followed by Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville  

Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad is a young adult novel written by L. Frank Baum, famous as the creator of the Land of Oz. [1] It was the second volume in the ten-novel series Aunt Jane's Nieces , which was, after the Oz books, the second greatest success of Baum's literary career. Like the other books in the series, the novel appeared under the pen name "Edith Van Dyne," one of Baum's multiple pseudonyms.

Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is targeted to teenagers, approximately half of YA readers are adults.

L. Frank Baum Childrens writer

Lyman Frank Baum was an American author chiefly famous for his children's books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the Oz series, plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and the nascent medium of film; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book would become a landmark of 20th-century cinema. His works anticipated such century-later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers, wireless telephones, women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations, and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing.

Land of Oz Fantasy land created by L. Frank Baum

The Land of Oz is a magical country first introduced in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).

Contents

Date

Though the original edition of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad bore the publication date "1906" (the same year as its predecessor book, Aunt Jane's Nieces), the book was actually published "late in 1907." [2] [3] (Baum's adult novel The Last Egyptian , issued in the same period, bears a copyright date of 1907 and a publication date of 1908.)

<i>The Last Egyptian</i> book by L. Frank Baum

The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile is a novel written by L. Frank Baum, famous as the creator of the Land of Oz. The book was published anonymously on May 1, 1908 by Edward Stern & Co. of Philadelphia, with eight color plate illustrations by Francis P. Wightman. Baum left his name off of the book because he was concerned that "masquerading as a novelist" might hurt his career as a writer for children; but he identified himself as the author of the book during his lifetime when making fantasy films for children proved a financial disaster.

Background

In writing the book, Baum faced the task of creating an effective sequel to a successful novel. He enriched his story with abundant real-world observation and local color. Baum and his wife had taken an extensive tour of Egypt and the Mediterranean region in the first six months of 1906; and Baum exploited the experiences of that trip for his book. [4] The Baums had witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius on April 7, 1906; Baum used the eruption as a central event in his novel. The characters in Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad follow some of the Baums' Italian itinerary closely, even staying at the same hotels as the Baums had done. [5]

Synopsis

The second book in the Aunt Jane's series picks up where the first left off. The eccentric and down-to-earth millionaire John Merrick decides to take his three beloved nieces – Patsy Doyle, Elizabeth de Graf, and Louise Merrick – on a tour of Europe. The parents of the three girls react variously, but don't oppose the trip; Mrs. Merrick, Louise's mother, wants to accompany them as chaperone, a prospect that Uncle John rejects out of hand. Still, Mrs. Merrick allows her daughter to go; she wants to separate Louise from Arthur Weldon, the young man who has been courting her. (The social-climbing Mrs. Merrick is desperate for Louise to land a rich husband. Weldon's father is a wealthy railroad magnate, but the father and son are in a clash of generations and the elder Weldon threatens to disown the younger).

A chaperone in its original social usage was a person who for propriety's sake accompanied an unmarried girl in public: usually she was an older married woman, and most commonly the girl's own mother.

Uncle John and the three cousins embark for Europe, and make new acquaintances aboard ship. Among them is a somewhat sinister and mysterious man called Victor Valdi, who combines "refinement and barbarity" in his manner. Patsy goes out of her way to draw him out of his sullen silence, to "make him talk and 'be sociable'." [6] The tourists reach Italy, where they witness an eruption by Vesuvius and cope with the public's fears and a layer of ash in the streets of Naples. They consider a detour, but decide to carry on intrepidly. They encounter a local aristocrat, the Count of Ferralti, who fancies Louise – though the clever Uncle John quickly realizes that he is only a pretend nobleman. John warns Louise of the young man's pretense, but otherwise allows the acquaintance, especially when Ferralti proves a courageous help in a near-disaster on the road.

Naples Comune in Campania, Italy

Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest municipality in Italy after Rome and Milan. In 2017, around 967,069 people lived within the city's administrative limits while its province-level municipality has a population of 3,115,320 residents. Its continuously built-up metropolitan area is the second or third largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the most densely populated cities in Europe.

At Taormina, the travelers meet Victor Valdi again; he appears more sinister and mysterious than ever in his native element, where he is called "Il Duca." There is much talk of the danger of "brigands" in Sicily — though the local people cheerfully insist that "There are no brigands" in Sicily, an ironic refrain that winds through the book. [7] Quickly enough, both Uncle John and Ferralti are waylaid by Valdi, who is the chief local brigand, and makes a living for his family and followers by kidnapping tourists and holding them for ransom. Uncle John learns the ways of Valdi's curious establishment, which includes his ruthless mother and his daughter Tato, who masquerades as a boy to serve as her father's henchman.

Taormina Comune in Sicily, Italy

Taormina is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian sea, including that of Isola Bella, are accessible via an aerial tramway built in 1992, and via highways from Messina in the north and Catania in the south. On May 26–27, 2017 Taormina hosted the 43rd G7 summit.

Sicily Island in the Mediterranean and region of Italy

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions, in Southern Italy along with surrounding minor islands, officially referred to as Regione Siciliana.

After initial resistance, Uncle John reconciles himself to paying the ransom for his life and freedom; but his nieces and friends are unwilling to yield to bandits, and stage a bold and effective rescue of Uncle John and Ferralti. It is revealed that the false Count Ferralti is actually Arthur Weldon; he has come to Europe in disguise to be with Louise. Uncle John lets the two young people continue to see each other, as long as there is no talk of marriage yet. (News has arrived that Weldon's father has died in a railway accident, and that Arthur is now a wealthy heir.)

The Americans are surprised a few days later, when Valdi and Tato appear at their hotel. While Tato was acting as the go-between in the ransom plot, the girl and Patsy had become something like friends; with typical generosity of spirit, Patsy does not blame the girl for the actions of her family. Now, Valdi asks the Americans to take Tato under their charge for a time; Valdi is trying to leave brigandage behind and take up an honest life. The cousins naively accept Tato, and enjoy dressing her in a new wardrobe and teaching her manners. They are surprised again when Tato absconds with the ransom cash ($50,000 of Uncle John's money and $30,000 of Weldon's); the girl leaves a cheerful but mocking letter behind her, explaining the ruse.

Having learned their lesson, the travelers complete their tour through Italy, Switzerland, and France, and gratefully return home.

Americans and guns

Throughout the book, the characters place great stress on their special nationality. This is most noticeable in their confrontation with Valdi and his kidnap plot. Beth puts it most blatantly when she cries, "It's a beastly shame that free born Americans should be enslaved by a crew of thieving Sicilians, and obliged to purchase their freedom!" [8] — but the other characters are nearly as vocal. (The word "American," singular or plural, occurs 58 times in Baum's text.) Valdi is a supremely successful brigand, until he encounters the Americans' pride, courage, and resourcefulness; conversely, the Americans' frank and generous kindness leaves them open to victimization.

The patriotic self-satisfaction turns ugly only once, when Patsy "gleefully" tells her Uncle John after his rescue, "Did you think your nieces would let you be robbed by a bunch of dagoes?" [9] (Perhaps momentary high spirits can excuse the normally better-behaved girl).

The Americans are so formidable in part because they are so heavily armed. Beth carries her "pet revolver" and Uncle John has two in his trunks; "cousin" Kenneth Forbes and American friend Silas Watson carry guns when in Sicily. As the cousins prepare to rescue Uncle John and Ferralti/Weldon, Patsy sticks a "pop-gun" in "the bosom of her dress...." When Kenneth asks her if she can shoot, she replies, "No, but I suppose the pistol can. I know enough to pull the trigger." [10]

Characters

To make his sequel effective, Baum needed to develop and deepen his continuing characters. In the first book, Louise was willing to follow her mother's lead in searching for a rich husband; but in the second she favors Arthur Weldon even when he runs a risk of disinheritance, suggesting a greater sincerity, sensitivity, and independence. Beth is the most formidable of the cousins; she carries a revolver and is a crack shot. Yet in the climactic confrontation with Valdi, she faints when the bullet she fires hits Valdi's finger and draws blood; afterward she swears she will never fire a weapon again. This display of a softer side tends to balance out her personality. Even Kenneth Forbes, the cousin who actually inherited Aunt Jane's estate in the first book, reveals unexpected depths of pluck and spirit.

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This is complete bibliography by American children's writer L. Frank Baum.

References

  1. ↑ "Edith Van Dyne," Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, Chicago, Reilly & Britton, "1906" [1907].
  2. ↑ Katharine M. Rogers, L. Frank Baum, Creator of Oz: A Biography, New York, St. Martin's Press, 2002; pp. 143-4, 273 n. 53.
  3. ↑ Maud Gage Baum, In Other Lands Than Ours, Edited and with Photographs by L. Frank Baum, Delmar, NY, Scholars' Facsimiles and Reprints, 1988; see Introduction by Edith and Warren Hollister.
  4. ↑ Frank Joslyn Baum and Russell P. MacFall, To Please a Child: A Biography of L. Frank Baum, Royal Historian of Oz, Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1961; p. 226.
  5. ↑ Rogers, pp. 144, 273 n. 54.
  6. ↑ Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, pp. 42, 45.
  7. ↑ Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, pp. 164, 170, 174 and ff.
  8. ↑ Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, pp. 259-60.
  9. ↑ Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, p. 291.
  10. ↑ Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, p. 274.
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