Regionalism in "Spoon River Anthology"

“Spoon River Anthology” is Edgar Lee Masters most well known works and also a great example of Regionalism. This poem is a collection of monologues of people from a small Midwestern town (Cone). This setting alone is the first major component to this poem being Regionalism. The entire poem is also written in a fairly simple style. The style used is very similar to the vernacular of the Midwest. A lot of emphasis is given to the setting to create a theme that concerns all of the characters of the story. All of these characteristics combine to create a poem that exemplifies Regionalism very well.

There is a lot of attention given to the setting which is the most important part of a story that is in the genre of Regionalism (Anderson). The first section of the poem is devoted solely to one location of the setting to introduce some of the characters and situations that will come up later in the story (Masters). There are descriptions of the location throughout the rest of the story, and also descriptions of the time period. All of these become major parts to the entire poem as a whole.

Another part of the poem that is important to its being in the genre of Regionalism is the style in which it is written. Throughout the entire poem, the language is very simplistic, which adds to this being a work of Regionalism. The Midwest has a very simple vernacular, as there are not really words or style of speaking particular to the area as compared to the South. Overall, the Midwest has an easy way of speaking with regular English. This poem uses that style with very simple lines, rather than the complex rhymes and patterns that can be seen in traditional poetry (Masters). There are almost no external rhymes to make the lines flow together in an artistic style, but this is not necessary as it is not the style of talking that is used in the Midwest. Masters does and excellent job of portraying the language of the Midwest, and matching the vernacular of the setting is a very important part of literature included in the genre of Regionalism (Anderson).

As a whole the entire poem together there is an underlying theme about the difficulty of living in American in the 20th century (Cone). The poem depicts the social and cultural changes that were taking place at the time. This theme that comes from the collection of all of the people’s feelings is extremely important to it being a work of Regionalism because the themes that come from the setting are always the most important parts of Regionalism (Anderson).

The focus on the setting, the simple style, and the theme that comes from the focus on the setting combined with the characters are what make this a great work of Regionalism. The story of the people of a small, Midwestern town is the perfect way to display the characteristics of Regionalism as there are many things particular to the Midwest that can add to create a setting that embodies the entire theme of the story.


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.

Cone, Temple. "Spoon River Anthology." In Kimmelman, Burt, and Temple Cone, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CTAP0520&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon Rivers Anthology." Bartleby: Great Books Online. 2011. Online. http://www.bartleby.com/84/index.html. February 13, 2011.