Teaching The Bridge of San Luis Rey and Wilder’s Other Novels

Abstract

Abstract This article attempts to persuade readers who are teachers to consider teaching The Bridge of San Luis Rey and Wilder’s other novels. Some may fear the style, structure, and historical setting of The Bridge would be off-putting for twenty-first-century students, but in the author’s own experience, students find Wilder’s philosophical narration thought-provoking and moving, similar to how audiences respond to Wilder’s most famous play, Our Town. The Bridge and other Wilder novels can be taught in courses on Modern American Literature, The Novel, Introduction to Literature, Religion and Literature, Philosophy and Literature, World Literature, and, of course, a seminar on Wilder. Student response to the author’s Wilder course has always been enthusiastic. When teaching The Bridge, the author focuses on three topics: Providence versus randomness in the fall of the bridge, unrequited love, and the view of time or history. The author describes how he has students explore the Providence versus randomness issue in a group discussion, applying four different criteria within the novel itself to major and minor characters. In the next section of his article, the author summarizes Wilder’s other six novels and suggest the kinds of courses for which they might be useful.