Influences of Regionalist Liturature in the 20th century

Where are we going this time? Who are we going to meet? What are we going to learn? These are all the questions one has in mind when opening up the spine of a book. It is not always just the knowledge that one is yearning for, but the adventure, and the people one gets to meet along the way. How an author brings everyone along with them to the destination of their choice is by using techniques in writing like regionalism and local color. Regionalism and local color is setting the reader in a particular place (i.e. England, North American, Australia), the characters met, and the languages they speak. In “Sense of Place: A Response to Regionalism,” written by Jonathan Hart, “from the beginning, North America was multinational and multicultural” (Hart 113). Kate Chopin uses all available sources

In the 1800’s, many writers became tired of the romanticized writing that had been popular during that time. Because of the Romantic movement, many writers wanted a real view of the world, not a sugar-coated fantasy. Therefore, the Realism movement was born. Stories such as “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce and “An Episode of War” by Stephen Crane were created. These authors focused on real life and the fact that life is unfair and is to be taken seriously. The stories also use many literary techniques to show the reality of the world.

The upper Midwest is a region often viewed as unimportant or boring due to its seemingly endless plains and uneventful daily life. In her memoir, The Horizontal World, Debra Marquart challenges this view to show her fondness of the upper Midwest. By using techniques including juxtaposition, realism, and references to well-known people/works, Marquart effectively manipulates her audience to agree with her perception of the region.

    While many American immigrant narratives concentrate on the culture shock that awaits those who arrive from the more rural Old World to live in a city for the first time, Willa Cather's immigrants, often coming from urban European settings, face the vast and empty land of the plains. Guy Reynolds notes that "the massive outburst of America westwards was in part powered by the explosion of immigrants through the eastern seaboard and across the continent. Ethnic diversity was at the heart of America's drive westwards" (63). The land and land ownership shape the lives of these newcomers in powerful ways, giving them an immigrant experience that is in some ways

Realism best represents the literary movement that America was facing at the time because the texts’ use detail that show how things really happened, how things really sounded, how they really looked, and used this literary style to get the reader more involved to see how the text will make them react while reading instead of just focusing on the narrator and the writer. While reading The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Twain says “ He never smiled, he never frowned, and he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key” (Twain 4). Twain uses these words to show real details that the other movements would never use in their

The American realists of the late 19th century were notably adept at creating deep, memorable characters --whether virtuous or villainous-- who are continuously developed throughout the tales in which they exist. These authors often used their protagonists for a higher purpose than mere storytelling, endeavoring to construct a critique of the times by placing the characters in opposition to their respective societies. As a result, the protagonist often becomes an unassuming type of hero to the reader, by courageously (or obtusely) defying convention, and doubting the ignorant assumptions of society. Three such characters that were born of American realism are found in the novels The Adventures of

Realism is shown through the way the story is set up. When the two men are speaking, proper gestures and mannerisms are used that are very realistic to what might be used in real life (Twain 1). Twain also uses local color as a form of realism in his story. He speaks of Western culture, clothes, and activities (Twain 1-2). This is a common theme or characteristic of realism: realistic events. Another point of realism is that the diction is natural. During the conversing of the two, Wheeler and the narrator, the dialect is spoken just how an Easterner and a Westerner would speak. Wheeler uses words such as “feller” instead of fellow and “yaller” instead of yellow (Twain 1). Reading these words, the reader can obviously see that the man is undereducated, which a characteristic of naturalism as well. Another reason why this story is a work of realism is simply that it depicts events that could happen in real life. Jim Smiley himself is the ideal Realism hero. He is an ordinary man who lived in a small town. This story by Twain has many elements of both Realism and Naturalism.

Author, Ambrose Bierce, who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the realism period. Particularly, in his work titled An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, written in 1890, we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the realism movement which was extant in American letters between 1850 and 1900. As a representative of such a movement, Ambrose Bierce, then remains on the most identifiable and iconic writers of his time.

William J. Long wrote in his book Outlines of English and American Literature, a book divulging the (then) modern literature of the late 1800s and early 1900s, that Edith Wharton’s works were “a little snobbish: she deals with ‘society,’ and confines herself to that corner of society which complacently regards itself as best. In consequence, there are no wide horizons in her books, which are distinctly of the indoor variety” (Long 570). He also stated that “every novel is marred (or improved, as some think) by analytical details that seldom repay a reader for the lack of action.” (Long 570) The criticisms raised by Long are fallacious, and it’s proved by Wharton’s poem “An Autumn Sunset,” written in 1895. Universality, the daily grind, and the human experience were major facets of American Realism, and, in contrast to Long’s criticisms, were shown in “An Autumn Summer” through its focus on war, its imagery of a commonplace setting, and its melancholic tone.

Cowboys and Indians come to mind for many people when the idea of Southwestern literature is presented. The scene of a saloon shootout and John Wayne materialize. Southwestern literature is more than the O.K. Corral. Writers such as Willa Cather and Catherine Porter do not have the prototypical storyline stated above, but they are writers of Southwestern literature. In order to understand why Willa Cather and Catherine Porter should be considered a part of Southwestern literature, one must consider the difference between the American West and Southwest and understand that their writing is deeply influenced by the landscape and culture of the Southwest and centered on issues faced by inhabitants of the region.

Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism are just a few examples of the many styles of writing that exist. Each style of writing deals with a specific time period. Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”, Henry James’s “Daisy Miller”, and Mary E Wilkins Freeman’s “The Revolt of Mother” are just a few examples of the literary works that represent these time periods. These literary works are perfect examples of the specific time periods each writing style was popular among certain authors. These stories allow readers to compare the modern times that we live in currently to the period these authors were in. They also allow the reader to branch out and be different.

By the late 19th century, the American country had changed greatly. This development most likely occurred due to the many technological advances that the 18th century introduced such as the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. Due to the country's rapid growth and change, it shaped a new type of writing. This new type of writing would be called regionalism. It captured the country's scenery and customs. Regionalism influenced many people especially women to accept and prepare for how a situation might unfold, also known as realism. Although one might perceive the 18th century as a period of prosperity, the majority of Americans were working tirelessly for 16 hours a day. As a result, these people expressed their constant hardships

Beginning in the late 19th century, two separate movements spread across America know as realism and naturalism. While the two were very similar in their beliefs and ideals there were still many apparent distinctions to differentiate the two. Realism and naturalism showed themselves in many aspects of life, from art and sciences to new math techniques and even religion. However, above all else these movements may have been most evident in the literature of this time. Reading through American literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it becomes perceptible which short stories portray realism and which represent nationalism.

Modern America focuses on the ideas of rebuilding lives, finding a new reality, a self-awareness in ones society and the acceptance of a new Modern. William Faulkner showcases his understanding of America through the influence of those living in the broken South, post Civil War. Faulkner’s novel Absalom, Absalom! is set in the late 1800’s early 1900’s but reflects stories told in the past, present and future by individual characters. In Jefferson County down in Mississippi after the Civil War, the south had been defeated and was on it’s way to rebuilding it’s foundation the people and the land. Faulkner tackles the problems of race, social class, slavery, self empowerment and the open secrets of the south through both white and black perspectives.

The realism time period, which began around 1860, mainly emerged during the Industrial Revolution. Around this era, the lower and middle classes became larger. Internal conflicts were usually a main part of the novels, as were the internal turning points. These turning points usually occurred within the characters, who were mentally unstable and had impulses, along with personalities, that were double-edged (Campbell). Realist novels, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Portrait of a Lady, were more focused on the characters themselves, rather than a plot (Campbell). For this reason, the