63 pages • 2 hours read
Margaret EdsonWit
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1995A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Wit by Margaret Edson is a Pulitzer-Prize winning play that follows Dr. Vivian Bearing, a 50-year-old professor of 17th-century poetry, after she receives a diagnosis of stage-four metastatic ovarian cancer. The narrative is nonlinear, interweaving scenes from her past and present as she undergoes aggressive treatment, reflecting on her life, career, and interactions with medical professionals, and ultimately facing her mortality.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Wit by Margaret Edson offers a poignant exploration of a scholar's battle with cancer. Critics praise its sharp, profound script and emotional depth, highlighting Edson's deft balance of intellect and humanity. Some find its stark medical scenes discomforting, yet its honesty and wit resonate deeply. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play remains a compelling, reflective piece on life and mortality.
Who Should Read Wit?
Readers who appreciated the emotional depth and intellectual rigor of works like Still Alice by Lisa Genova or the poignant exploration of mortality in Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich will find Wit by Margaret Edson compelling. This play delves into themes of life, death, and the human experience, engaging those intrigued by literature that challenges and moves.
Recommended
Reading Age
18+yearsLexile Level
NPBook Details
Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Education
Modern Classic Fiction
Drama / Tragedy
Education
Grief / Death
Health / Medicine