Why is Thornton Wilder important?

Category: books and literature poetry
4.3/5 (76 Views . 34 Votes)
Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) was a pivotal figure in the literary history of the twentieth-century. He is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and drama. He received the Pulitzer for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) and the plays Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1942).



Besides, what is Thornton Wilder known for?

Thornton Wilder Biography. Novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder won two Pulitzer Prizes for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, written in 1938 and 1942 respectively. His most well-known novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, also won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1927.

One may also ask, was Thornton Wilder religious? Both of Wilder's grandfathers were clergymen, and he himself considered going into the ministry. His parents — Amos Parker Wilder and Isabella Thornton Wilder — believed strongly in culture and stressed religion, education, and intellectual pursuits to their five children.

In this manner, how did Thornton Wilder die?

Heart attack

When did Thornton Wilder die?

December 7, 1975

20 Related Question Answers Found

What is the plot of our town?

Our Town tells a story of the town Grover's Corners and focuses on two families: the Webbs and the Gibbs. In Grover's Corners, life is ordinary and families stay for generations. Families wake up, go to work, go to school, and spend time making small talk.

Who wrote our town?

Thornton Wilder

How long is our town the play?

Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play celebrates what it means to be human and the bonds that unite us all. Part 1 = 1hr 20mins | Interval = 20mins | Part 2 = 30mins.

Why is our town a classic?

Thornton Wilder's Our Town is widely considered to be a classic American play: It puts plain-spoken lyricism on an empty stage with a story as simple as life and death. Wilder was also an acclaimed novelist and essayist, but none of his dramas were as enduring as Our Town, which won the 1938 Pulitzer Prize.

Where did Thornton Wilder attend college?


Yale University
Oberlin College
Princeton University

Did Thornton Wilder have children?

He married Catharine Kerlin in 1935. They had two children, Catharine Dix and Amos Tappan. Thornton Wilder's oldest sister Charlotte Wilder (1898-1980) was a poet who shared the Shelley Memorial Award for Poetry in 1937 with Ben Belitt.

What branch of military did Thornton Wilder serve in?

During WWII, Wilder served in the Army Air Force Intelligence. He was awarded the Legion of Merit Bronze Star, the Legion d'honneur and the Order of the British Empire.

What is Pulitzer Prize given for?

The Pulitzer Prize (/ˈp?l?ts?r/) is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States.

How old is Thornton Wilder?


78 years (1897–1975)

Where is Thornton Wilder buried?

1973 | His novel Theophilus North is published. 1975 | Wilder dies in his sleep in Hamden, Connecticut on December 7. He is buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery.

Who wrote the bridge over San Luis Rey?

Thornton Wilder

When was our town written?

1937

Where was Thornton Wilder from?


Madison, Wisconsin, United States