Thornton Wilder

1
Thornton Wilder

• A Brief Bio

2
His Folks

• born 1897 in Madison, Wisconsin
• 4 siblings all famous
• educated parents read to him

3
His Education

• Formally studied
• Greek Roman classics
• French literature
• Archaeology
• Reads speaks in 3 languages

4
Teaching Career

• Taught high school French
• Taught poetry at Harvard
• Lectured on literature
• Considered himself a teacher 1st, a writer 2nd

5
His Writing

• Has written
• Fiction
• Broadway musicals
• Screenplays
• Dramas

• Pulitzer Prizes for
• The Bridge Of San Luis Rey (1927).
• Our Town (1938).
• The Skin Of Our Teeth (1943)

6
Our Town

• Based on Peterborough, New Hampshire, where
  Wilder spent his summers.
  
• Gibbs and Webb families
• Focuses on George Emily Gibbs childhood,
  courtship, marriage, and death.

7
Themes

• Universals in everyday life
• Brevity of life
• Living life to the fullest
• Companionship
• Superficiality of the theater

8
Motifs/Symbols

• Natural cycles
• Stages of life
• Time
• Morning