our town by thornton wilder. background information born 1897 an american novelist who wrote several...
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Our TownBy Thornton Wilder
Background Information
• Born 1897
• An American novelist who wrote several plays
• Praised for his treatment of universal themes
• Won two Pulitzer Prizes (Our Town; Bridge of San Louis Rey)
Impact on Theatrical World
• Our Town is considered a classic; required text in many high schools.
• Wilder believed that TRUTH could only be discovered in the lives of ordinary people.
• Wilder used the “perpetual present tense.”
• Definition: All past, present, and future actions take place in the here and now on stage.
• Time is fluid.
• Wilder experimented with the absence of scenery.
• Focus is on the internal rather than the external.
• Allows the setting to be more universal.
• Was unhappy with the movie version due to “excessive” scenery and costuming.
Important Themes
•Repetition of the song “Blessed be the Tie that Binds.”
• 1. Choir practice when George and Emily talk.
• 2. Wedding
• 3. Funeral
Themes, cont.
• The importance of everyday things.
• 1. Mrs. Wells smells flowers after choir practice.
• 2. Emily’s farewell speech in Act III.
• 3. Wilder states so directly in the play; asks audience to think back on their past.
Themes, cont.
• Universally appreciable themes
• 1. Note use of Our Town rather than Grover’s Corners (everyone’s town).
• 2. Families, people, memories
• 3. Marriage and love
• 4. Death
Themes, cont.
• Alienation Effect
• Background: Realism is where artists/writers attempt to capture the real world in their art.
• Alienation Effect is the opposite of Realism.
• Playwright presents his play as a play, not as a part of real life.
• Effect is used to get people to think about what they are seeing instead of being lost in the play.
Themes, cont.
• Examples of Alienation Effect in Our Town:
• Stage Manager interrupts the plot to comment on the action.
• The audience comments on what is happening.
• Dead people talk at the end of the play.
• Not a realistic setting; few props.
• Characters are “types,” not individuals; focus on ideas.
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