What Genre Is Our Town By Thornton Wilder?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Our Town Original language English Subject Life and death in an American small town Genre

Drama
Setting 1901 to 1913. Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire near Massachusetts.

Is Our Town a comedy or tragedy?

At a Glance:

genre Wilder’s play defies most conventional theatrical genres. It is

neither a comedy nor a tragedy

, neither a romance nor a farce. It is, rather, a contemplative work concerning the human experience.

Is Our Town by Thornton Wilder a novel?

Our Town was first produced and published in 1938 to wide acclaim. This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the small village of Grover’s Corners, an allegorical representation of all life, has become an American classic. It is Thornton Wilder’s most renowned and most frequently performed play.

Is Our Town a contemporary play?

“Our Town” is set in the fictional American small town of Grover’s Corners, and “Their Town” is set in an unnamed Midwest “flyover” town. It examines life, love and death in the new century, Richardson said. … “Their Town” is part of Playcrafters’ Barn Owl series of edgier, more

contemporary

works.

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.

What is the moral of Our Town?

Our Town closes with its most important and most universal moral,

death

; more specifically, the lack of appreciation most people have for life before death. Or, as Mrs. … People will never stop fearing death, and will always need reminders to cherish their lives.

What does the moon symbolize in Our Town?

The moon in Our Town symbolizes

beauty and the eternal

. This is a bit of a stretch though, because the moon itself may just be the moon.

Why are there no props in Our Town?

Our Town

has little scenery

because the author wanted it to seem as if it could take place in any town. Wilder also did not want the play to seem too…

How did Mrs Gibbs died in Our Town?

Mrs. Gibbs died

of pneumonia

in Canton, Ohio while visiting Rebecca and her husband. Mrs. Gibbs greets Emily when she enters the cemetery.

Who is the lady in the box in Our Town?

Character Description
Rebecca Gibbs

Rebecca Gibbs is George’s younger sister, who is about 11 when the play begins; she’s good at saving her allowance.
Lady in a box The lady in a box is a character in the audience who asks questions about culture in Grover’s Corners.

What kind of play is Our Town?

Our Town Original language English Subject Life and death in an American small town
Genre


Drama
Setting 1901 to 1913. Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire near Massachusetts.

Who dies in Our Town?

At the end of the intermission,

Mrs. Gibbs, Simon Stimson, Mrs. Soames, and Wally Webb

, among others, take their seats. All of these characters have died in the intervening years between Act II and Act III, and the stage has become the local cemetery, situated at the top of a hill overlooking Grover’s Corners.

How long is a performance of Our Town?

Run Time:

Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes

; including two intermissions. Who’s Who: View the cast and creative team bios.

Who has the drinking problem in our town?


Simon Stimson

.

Simon

, the town drunk and choir director, is the sore thumb that sticks out in Our Town’s perfect tableau of small town life. His drinking problem is by far the most serious problem we see in Grover’s Corners, yet none of the townspeople makes an effort to reach out to him.

Why is our town so popular?

ITS SIMPLE STAGING HAS HELPED MAKE OUR TOWN A

VERY POPULAR REVIVAL

. Thanks to the play’s minimal stage design requirements, community theaters and high school drama clubs can take on this American classic with meager budgets. And they often have. “Our Town goes on and on and on and on.

Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?



EMILY

: “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it… every, every minute?” STAGE MANAGER: “No. Saints and poets maybe…they do some.”

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.