Thornton Wilder, Classical Reception, and American Literature (Hardcover)

This book delineates how Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), a learned playwright and novelist, embeds himself within the classical tradition, integrating Greek and Roman motifs with a wide range of sources to produce heart-breaking masterpieces such as Our Town and comedy sensations such as Dolly Levi. Through this study of archival sources and close reading, readers will understand Wilder's avant-garde staging and innovative time sequences not as a break with the past, but as a response to the classics. The author traces the genesis of unforgettable characters like Dolly Levi in The Matchmaker, Emily Webb in Our Town, and George Antrobus in The Skin of Our Teeth. Vergil's expression, "Here are the tears of the world, and human matters touch the heart" haunts Wilder's oeuvre. Understanding Vergil's phrase as "tears for the beauty of the world," Wilder utilizes scenes depicting the beauty of the world and the sorrow when individuals recognize this too late. Wilder exhorts us to observe lovingly, alert to the wonder of the everyday. This work will appeal to actors and directors, professors and students in classics and in American literature, those fascinated by modern drama and performance studies, and non-specialists, theatre-goers, and readers in the general public.

General

Imprint:	Taylor & Francis
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Routledge Monographs in Classical Studies
Release date:	November 2021
First published:	2022
Authors:	Stephen J. Rojcewicz Jr
Dimensions:	234 x 156mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	198
ISBN-13:	978-1-03-201465-4
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > From 1900 Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE
LSN:	1-03-201465-2
Barcode:	9781032014654

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