William Vaughn Moody's five plays skillfully blend the romanticism and the realism of two eras. Chiefly remembered as a transitional playwright and poet, Moody bridges the gap between traditional forms of the nineteenth century and experimental designs of the twentieth century. Although his ambitious trilogy of philosophical verse plays (The Masque of Judgment, The Fire-Bringer, The Fire-Bringer, and The Death of Eve) was never staged, his prose dramas (The Great Divide and The Faith Healer) establish his dramatic reputation as a pioneer of modern theatre. Moody's importance lies in the way he used his abilities as a poet to expand the limits of realistic melodrama.

Born in Spencer, Indiana, Moody grew up in New Albany, Indiana, on the Ohio River, directly across from Louisville, a center of commerce for the area. Before Moody was born, his father, Burdette Moody, had been a riverboat captain, traveling to and from...