Regionalism

"Writers who write about real or made-up locales make use of the history or ideas associated with particular regions" (Anderson). We see regionalism a lot in stories, novels, and just writing inn general. Recently, in a book I read for AP UNited States History, it involved a lot of regionalism. It is called Centennial and it is written by James Michener. Centennial is all about this area of Colorado. Kasraie says it best with what classifies regionalism with, "the most common vehicle for local-color writing is the sketch or short story, with, generally speaking, the following characteristics: 1) characters are stereotypical or picturesque, staunch traditionalists, who speak the regional dialect and whose actions and personalities are indicative of the region; 2) the setting—typically rural, often inaccessible, and isolated from encroaching urbanization—plays an essential role in the story and may even be a character itself (stories usually orbit around the village or a similarly circumscribed locale and focus on the traditional practices of the community); 3) plotlines are sparse, especially in local-color stories by women writers; 4) often there is a framing device in which a narrator recounts a yarn or story about another region; 5) the narrator sometimes acts as the audience for the story; and/or 6) there is a narrator who is an educated, nonnative observer whose comments are meant to enlighten the urban audience" (Kasraie). "local color designates a particular kind of writing that flourished from 1865 to 1895, in which the primary focus of interest lies in the particular characteristics of a region and people at a particular time" (Kasraie). Centennial was a book that talks about this small area of Colorado and tells of the people who lived there and learned how to use the land. It is a farming community with maybe two hundred people in it. Then there are stories of the Zendt family who come from Pennsylvania and tells of their life their and their travels to Colorado. Michener was a very effective narrator who knew what he was talking about.



Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Jan 31, 2011.


Kasraie, Mary Rose. "local color." In Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Jan 31, 2011.