Topics for Further Study
Last Updated on July 29, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 147
Some other American writers did not look as kindly on the village m their works as Thornton Wilder did in Our Town. Look at the poems of Edgar Lee Masters and Edwin Arlington Robinson, the short stories of Sherwood Anderson, and the novels of Sinclair Lewis for different views of life in small town America.
Research the Progressive Movement in American politics at the turn of the century. Investigate the links between the Progressives and the Women's Suffrage Movement. Many small towns in New Hampshire were thriving manufacturing centers during the 19th century.
Research what life might have been like for the average 16-year-old in one of those towns at the turn of the century.
Some critics have complained that Wilder oversimplified life in turn-of-the-century America, depicting an idealized society that never existed in reality. What do you think Wilder's motivations were for creating such a town?
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