Regionalism and Local Color
Overview
In addition to humor and regional dialect, late nineteenth-century authors also sometimes made use of two other literary techniques: regionalism and local color.
Regionalism is a literary style wherein authors strive to vividly recreate the distinctive sights and sounds of a specific geographical area and its people. Contained in regionalism are picturesque images and vivid details that capture the unique feel and flavor of a particular location as well as the beliefs and behavior of its people. You are already aware of one aspect of regionalism through your experience with regional dialect in the previous study session.
Local color, closely related to regionalism, is a literary technique that even more sharply focuses on the unique characteristics and specific details of a particular area. Local color sharply defines not only physical environment, but also the culture and mood of a location along with the feelings, speech, and behavior of “the locals.”
In Bret Harte’s “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” you will observe an excellent example of regionalism and local color.
