The Woman of Andros
First edition cover
AuthorThornton Wilder
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAlbert & Charles Boni
Publication date
February 1930
Media typeHardcover
Pages162

The Woman of Andros is a 1930 novel by Thornton Wilder. Inspired by Andria, a comedy by Terence, it was the third-best selling book in the United States in 1930.

The novel is set on the fictional Greek island of Brynos in the pre-Christian era, probably around 200 B.C. (i.e., in the decline of Greece's golden age though the novel does not give an explicit date)[1][2] The book examines conflicts between Christian and pre-Christian morality.

Though some reviews considered the novel a masterpiece, others were more critical.[3] This was the first time that Wilder's work received any significant negative critical response. Mike Gold's review in The New Republic faulted Wilder for not addressing modern social issues.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ The Cabala and The Woman of Andros - Two Novels, Harper Collins Canada (description for 2006 reissue), Retrieved 26 November 2014
  2. ^ (23 February 1930). Thornton Wilder's New Tale Has Classic Beauty; In Its Perfection of Form, "The Woman of Andros" Surpasses His Previous Work (book review), The New York Times
  3. ^ All Movie Guide Biography, via nytimes.com, Retrieved 26 November 2014
  4. ^ Ho, Melanie. Useful Fiction: Why Universities Need Middlebrow Literature (2008 UCLA Ph.D. dissertation)
  5. ^ Dirda, Michael. The Chameleon: Thornton Wilder's multifaced life and work, Harper's Magazine (January 2013)
Categories