Regionalism Module Overview

Like Naturalism, Regionalism is a sub-genre of Realism that flourished in the United States from the end of the Civil War into the first decade of the 20^th century. While many works feature stories, characters, and plots that could take place just about anywhere and at any time, Regionalism focused on the characters, dialect, customs, and other features particular to a specific region in an attempt to capture what made that geographical area distinct. Regionalist writing declared that there was no single American identity, and that the diversity of Americans' experience was to be celebrated and recorded. Regionalism has sometimes been referred to as the "local color" movement.

Essential Questions

What are the characteristics of Regionalism in American literature?
What important historical events contributed to the development of Regionalist literature?
How important is a physical place to the development of a story's plot and characters?
Does my physical setting influence who I am?

Key Terms

Realistic Writing: writing that attempts to depict the behaviors, actions, speech, situations, and lives of characters as accurately and authentically as possible
Regionalistic Writing: realistic writing that attempts to present a region of the United States authentically through dialect, detailed description, plot, characters, setting, and cultural elements important to that region
Exposition: the part of a story (almost always in the opening) that established the characters and setting
Conflict: the problem that causes tension between the protagonist and another character, a group of characters, the world, or himself
Rising Action: all events that happen leading up the climax; this should be the majority of the story's plot
Climax: the moment of decision for the protagonist that is either the most intense or represents a turning point; it should take place closer to the end of the story than to the beginning
Falling Action: all the events that happen after the climax as the story starts to wind down
Resolution: how the problem is solved and the story is ended
Local Color: writing that is so particular to a specific region that the characters, plot, and outcomes cannot be separated from that region
Stereotypes: character types that are portrayed as having general traits instead of individual, complex personalities
Narrator: the character or voice telling the story
Frame Story: an introductory story that sets the stage for another story and helps the reader understand the second story within the story
Plot: the series of events in a story
Setting: the time and place in which a story is set
Dialect: a particular form of a language that is spoken in one region and may include variations in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar

Self- Assessment

Complete the following self-assessment to check your understanding of the module's key terms.

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