Our Town (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Thornton Wilder
- First Published: 1938
- Type of Work: Play
- Genres: Domestic realism, Drama
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Love or romance, Marriage, 1910’s, New England, New Hampshire, Death or dying, Small-town life, Afterlife
- Locales: Grover’s Corners, NH
In the drama Our Town, Wilder would find the fullest expression of his humanistic convictions, pouring all of his genius into it. The play, which opened on Broadway on February 4, 1938, reaffirmed his deep-seated belief that eternal human truths can be observed in American life. Today, the play is regarded as an American classic. It was a different matter, however, in the beginning.
The play had a rocky out-of-town reception by the critics before opening in New York City, but thanks to the strong support of doyen Brooks Atkinson, it caught on with the public and ran for...
[The entire page is 961 words long]
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