My Wicked Prior Knowledge

The movie wasn't great, but my experience with it proved an old lesson about cultural literacy

Watching Wicked—both as a play and as a movie—unexpectedly opened my eyes to a thumbnail sketch of what I’ve learned about E.D. Hirsch’s theory of cultural literacy.

Before Wicked, I thought I hated musicals. I thought that because I did hate them. Broadway shows seemed like boring journeys into storylines too complicated to follow, with characters that didn’t connect with me. Local plays taught me that because they were long, verbose, and a horrible form of torture. But Wicked changed my perspective, and in the process, it made Hirsch’s ideas about cultural literacy click in a small way.

A Wicked Example Confirming Hirsch’s Theory

Hirsch’s theory emphasizes the need for a shared body of knowledge that connects people through common references and helps them understand new information more easily. He argues that having core knowledge—familiar stories, characters, and cultural touchstones—is essential for making sense of more complex ideas. Watching Wicked, I realized how much prior knowledge matters when engaging with new material.

I enjoyed Wicked because it’s a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, a movie I, like many Americans, had watched multiple times. I already knew the world of Oz and the main characters like Glinda, the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Wizard himself. This prior knowledge made it easier for me to follow Wicked’s storyline, even though it was different. I wasn’t starting from zero. Instead, I could retrieve facts about these familiar characters, which kept me engaged and curious, as if someone was feeding me hot gossip. I wanted to know more about their backstories—how Glinda became the Good Witch and why Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, was labeled as “wicked.” I don’t want to spoil it, but let’s just say we were lied to in the original movie.

If Wicked had been a completely unfamiliar story with brand-new characters, I doubt I would have enjoyed it as much. The same is true for how we learn. Hirsch argues that a knowledge-rich curriculum gives students a foundation to build on, enabling them to understand more complex texts and ideas later. Wicked worked for me because it tapped into cultural references I already knew. It wasn’t just entertaining—it showed me how powerful shared knowledge can be.

This experience also highlighted the importance of core knowledge for communication. Wicked’s creators assumed their audience would recognize elements from The Wizard of Oz, and they used that recognition to deepen the story. Similarly, Hirsch believes that shared knowledge enables people to communicate effectively. Without a common foundation, understanding breaks down.

My enjoyment of Wicked is a great example of how Hirsch’s theory applies. I knew both witches and was eager to hear their sordid pasts.

Not All Cultural Literacy is Culturally Literate

Hirsch’s critics often argue that his approach is too rigid, focusing too much on memorization and not enough on creativity or personal exploration. I have a different problem: who decides what goes into the canon we consider shared knowledge? What if the canon is culturally limited and leaves out the important stories widely known to marginalized groups, but not to all?

For example, many people in my network would have enjoyed Wicked more if it had been a prequel to The Wiz.

When others think about the Good Witch, some think of this:

I think of this:

When some think of the Wicked Witch, they mentally picture this:

Oh my Lord, I think of this:

When others think of flying monkeys, they think of this:

When I think of flying monkeys, I think of these guys:

The point is, I’ve seen The Wiz way more times than I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz. I can sing the songs, recite the lines, and remember the scenes shot for shot.

If acquiring reading ability required me to draw from previous viewings of the Oz classic, I wouldn’t be as successful as if it drew from The Wiz. Attending to that problem would be a task for real cultural literacy.

Still, Wicked wasn’t just a good play or a sucky movie—it was a small lesson in how Hirsch’s ideas work in practice. Prior knowledge matters. It enriches our ability to engage with new stories, ideas, and experiences. And it’s not just about entertainment—it’s about understanding the world around us. Hirsch’s theory may be debated, but Wicked was a quick lesson about cultural literacy’s value.

That said, you might not like Wicked the movie precisely because it will fail to live up to your prior knowledge of other Oz movies.