{"product_id":"thornton-wilder-classical-reception-and-american-literature-1","title":"Thornton Wilder, Classical Reception, and American Literature","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 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 \u003ci\u003eOur Town\u003c\/i\u003e and comedy sensations such as Dolly Levi.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Matchmaker\u003c\/i\u003e, Emily Webb in \u003ci\u003eOur Town\u003c\/i\u003e, and George Antrobus in \u003ci\u003eThe Skin of Our Teeth\u003c\/i\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54256727327064,"sku":"9781032014654","price":192.2,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781032014654.jpg?v=1777554025","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/thornton-wilder-classical-reception-and-american-literature-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}