Thornton Niven Wilder: Life, Works, and Style

Early Life Thornton Niven Wilder, a pivotal figure in 20th-century literary history, was born on April 17, 1897, in Madison, California, United States. His father, Amos Parker Wilder, served as a newspaper editor and diplomat, while his mother, Isabella Niven Wilder, was a homemaker. The family later relocated to China, where his father became the U.S. consul general. Thornton was not the only accomplished child in the family; his older brother, Amos Niven Wilder, became a professor, and his sister, Isabel Wilder, achieved recognition as a writer. Education Thornton Wilder began his formal education at the English China Inland Mission School in Cheefoo while the family resided in China. However, due to the unstable political situation in China, the family returned to California in 1906. There, he attended Berkeley High School and graduated in 1915. He continued his education at Oberlin College and Yale University, earning his bachelor's degree in 1920. Death Thornton Wilder's liter…