Discovering <i>The Dreamers</i>: A First Response

Abstract Some twenty-five years ago, the author discovered a manuscript of a previously unpublished, unperformed play by a young Thornton Wilder in the Thornton Wilder Papers at the Beinecke Library. With the permission of Tappan Wilder, The Dreamers is being published in this issue of the Thornton Wilder Journal along with this first commentary on the play. Following a plot summary, this article focuses on the following elements in the play: theatrical style; the dream motif; literary, biblical, and historical allusions; and similarities to future works (e.g., substantial female characters). It is the author’s hope that this article will inspire further scholarly analysis and a stage production of The Dreamers.