The short excerpt from Willa Cather’s novel “O Pioneers!” and her short story "A Wagner Matinée" both show many characteristics of the literary genre of Regionalism. There is a simple language; much like is used in the Midwest where "O Pioneers!" takes place. There are many references to things that are particular to the Midwest and an important part of the culture of the region. The mentality of the area as a whole is a critical portion of this excerpt that displays the characteristics of a work of Regionalism.
From this excerpt from “O Pioneers!” it is easy to tell that it is a work of Regionalism with strong focus on the entire Midwest. One of the contributing factors to this is simple the language used. Often it seems that the Midwest does not really have a vernacular, because for the most part this region of the United States speaks regular English. There are not many words that are particular to the area as there are in the South. This story is presented in a means of simple sentence structure and regular diction that is similar to the English used in the Midwest (Cather "O" 489). "A Wagner Matinée" also uses simple language as it seems like someone that you know is just telling you a story. Language is one of the key parts that separate just Realism to the narrower genre of Regionalism (Anderson). The language in this story is one part of what make it a work of Regionalism.
The setting and different parts of each story described are another part of what make these works of Regionalism. Simply that fact that "O Pioneers!" takes place in Midwest makes it Regionalism (Cather "O" 489). There are many references to farming and specifically the farming of corn throughout the area. This crop is particular to almost specifically the Midwest. Oftentimes authors use specific areas to draw from for the setting of a work of Regionalism. This allows them to make the setting an important part of the story as they can almost make the setting and the characters into one idea (Anderson). Willa Cather moved to Nebraska at the age of nine and this is the most likely explanation for the setting of the Midwest for many of her works, making her a Regionalist writer. This can be seen in her short story "A Wagner Matinée" because one of the characters in the story actually comes from a farm in Nebraska (Cather, "Wagner" 521).
Most times in works of Regionalism, the author will hone in on the mentality of the area in which the story takes place (Anderson). This is exactly what Willa Cather does in her story “O Pioneers!” The short excerpt explains how the people of the Midwest, even during a rough time for the farming industry, can stay strong and pull through (Cather "O" 489). This idea of remaining strong in times of hardships and struggles is a huge part of the Midwest and Cather was able to use this to create a major part of the story.
These works contain many of the most important characteristics of a work of Regionalism. There is a simple style of writing, much similar to the vernacular of the Midwest, as well as and overall tie of the setting to the characters and people in it. These are some of the major aspects of literature that make something a part of the genre of Regionalism. Willa Cather’s experiences growing up obviously show in her story “O Pioneers!” and "A Wagner Matinée" and are what making her a great writer of Regionalism literature.
Works Cited
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489.
Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 521-526.
No comments:
Post a Comment