Regionalism.
A branch of American realism concerned with representing the distinctive characters, dialects, lifestyles, and landscapes of the widely dispersed non-urban sections of the United States. The movement put special emphasis in the short story, responded to the rapidly expanding magazine market, and gave particular opportunity to women writers. Regionalism attempted to preserve the distinctive local cultures of the United States at a time when the nation was becoming more homogeneous, industrialized and interconnected; it reflects the tension between the local and national, tradition and change, insiders and outsiders. Regionalism is also referred to as local color fiction, by comparison to the painting of genre scenes. Major American regionalists include Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Mary Austin, Kate Chopin, Bret Harte, and Hamlin Garland (see Norton 2: 6-12). |
