Local Color in Literature
The narration of the far-fetched Americas.
Local color, or American literary regionalism is a unique form of genre that emerged in the 19th and 20th century in the United States. It was one of the most prominent modes of writing during the Civil War era and is considered to have influenced the political and cultural climate after the war, leading to the unification of the continent. Like all literary traditions, this movement also has characteristics that makes it possible to distinguish it from other traditions.
As it can also be understood from its name, this literary tradition emphasizes the regional or local elements of a certain place. The chosen region is given with all of it's details such as it's surroundings, nature, culture, customs, people, architecture, language and other elements that gives that region a sense of identity, uniqueness and belonging. In order to higlight these aspects, the works that follow this movement generally involves little to no plot or action. In this sense, the experience of reading the work itself is similar to that of looking at a painting. Since there is usually no plot or any action, the literary characters are also used as stereotypes or as stock characters. They are not considered as different individuals, but they are rather seen as people who carry the aspects and elements of a place.
The movement is considered to be both romantic and realistic in itself. It is romantic because the author usually fantasizes about distant lands, which is a similar attitude in other theories and movements such as Orientalism as well. It is also romantic in the sense that there is some kind of yearning or a nostalgia regarding the depicted setting. However, at the same time it is also realistic because the details and depictions that are given to the reader are careful observations of the region. Local dialects can be considered as a prime example of this aspect. Some literary critics argue that there is one important element that clearly distinguishes local color from realism. According to these critics, while realist writing often comes from a place of political and economic power, this position of power is not reflected or present in local color. Regionalist writers are believed to be people who belong to some kind of minority. These may very well be women, queer people, black people, emancipated slaves, immigrants and so on.
Lastly, some important authors who belonged to this tradition are as such; Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Mark Twain, William Faulkner and many more.
Bibliography
Wikipedia
Encylopedia Britannica
VanSpanckeren, Kathryn. Outline of American Literature
Images
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