Influences of Regionalist Liturature in the 20th century

The late 19th century and early 20th century were periods of rapid growth for America. As there were gold rushes in the West, new farms arising in the Great Plains, and the genesis of new factories in the North, each region developed its own subculture. The culture developed by each of these regions was directly reflected in the Regionalist literary works written at that time. Regionalism is a branch of Realism that includes literary works that focus on characters, dialect, customs, and other features of a specific region. Realism pertains to literary works that describe middle-class life and heavily focuses on character. Realism makes use of plausible, real events and characters. Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Willa Cather are notable authors stemming from the Realist movement that occurred around the turn of the century. Mark Twain’s â€Å"Corn Pone Opinions† comments on the fickleness of the human mind, using the example of a slave minister. Bret Harte’s â€Å"T he Outcasts of Poker † tells the tale of a gambler and other rabble rousers who were shunned from the Western mining town of Poker , which had recently seen a moral reprise. Willa Cather’s My Antonia narrates the life of Jim Burden, an upper-class boy who grows up on a Blackhawk, Nebraska farm with his immigrant friend, Antonia Shimerda. Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Willa Cather address Realism and more so Regionalism in their respective works â€Å"Corn Pone Opinions,† â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flats,† and My Antonia. Mark Twain