Edgar Lee Masters

A landmark work of early twentieth-century American poetry, this collection presents a fictional Midwestern town through a series of free-verse epitaphs spoken by its deceased inhabitants. Each voice recounts personal histories, disappointments, ambitions, and hidden truths, gradually revealing the social tensions and private realities concealed beneath communal respectability. Through overlapping testimonies, individual stories intersect to expose family secrets, moral contradictions, and the emotional cost of conformity in small-town life. Departing from traditional poetic forms, the work reflects a broader literary shift toward realism and psychological candor, transforming ordinary lives into a collective portrait of human experience. By allowing the dead to speak without restraint or fear, the book offers a penetrating examination of memory, reputation, and truth, securing its enduring importance as a profound exploration of community and identity.

The Bread of Idleness: A Play in Four Acts, by Edgar Lee Masters, presents a compelling drama exploring themes of societal expectations, personal fulfillment, and the conflict between ambition and contentment. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century America, the play delves into the lives of its characters as they grapple with questions of purpose and the pursuit of happiness. Masters, celebrated for his keen observations of human nature and his evocative portrayal of small-town life, brings his signature style to this thought-provoking work. "The Bread of Idleness" offers a window into a pivotal era, inviting readers to reflect on the timeless struggles and aspirations that define the human experience. This edition preserves the original text, ensuring that readers can fully appreciate the nuances and depth of Masters's literary vision. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.