Regionalism in "Two Views of the River"

Mark Twain is one of the most influential American authors of all time. Many of his works set the standard for the genre they are in and his memoir “Two Views of the River” is no different. This work displays all of the important characteristics of a work of Regionalism, which is a genre that Mark Twain was one of the best at writing in. He pays close attention to the setting which is the most important characteristic of Regionalism with very vivid descriptions of the many different aspects of the setting. He then uses this setting to connect the main idea or universal theme of the story. In this story specifically, the theme becomes the psychological change in value of the river for Twain from his years on steamboats. With the importance of the setting, authors of the genre of Regionalism often focus on how the character, or in this specific work the author himself, interact with the environment. There is also use of figurative language to compare how he feels about the change in value. Mark Twain uses all of these characteristics in his memoir “Two Views of the River” to exemplify the literary genre of Regionalism.

The first thing one notices upon reading Twain’s “Two Views of the River” is the extremely vivid descriptions of the setting. The setting is the most important part of a work of Regionalism, as it sets the basis for all other aspects of the story (Anderson). Twain accomplishes this in the first paragraph of the work as he describes the river as “turned to blood,” the surface of the water “broken by boiling, tumbling rings,” and many other aspects of the surroundings on the boat (Twain 504). These vivid descriptions allow the reader to understand what the setting looks like for the author, and this is important because he later explains his change in opinion for these different natural beauties of the river.

In Regionalism literature, the setting is important because the author uses it to connect the universal theme of the entire work (Anderson). Twain does this by comparing how he viewed the river when he started working on steamboats to how he felt later in his life about the exact same situation. At first, he addresses all of the natural beauty of the river as just that… natural beauty, but later when viewing the same things, they serve as a means of reading the river (Twain). This becomes the universal theme of the entire work that people gain new perspectives on life as they become accustomed to it.

Another characteristic of Regionalism literature used in Twain’s memoir is figurative language, which was a very common literary device used in all of Realism (Anderson). At the end of the story, he describes a doctor that sees a woman and some sort of beauty mark that she has on her cheek. Before becoming a doctor, it is viewed solely as a sign of beauty, but after studying medicine, it simply becomes a symptom for some sort of disease (Twain 505). This is a direct comparison that concludes the personal feelings that Twain used to have and now has for the river.

A strong setting is the most important part of a work of Regionalism and Mark Twain uses this in almost all of his great works. This setting is then used to create a theme, as Twain did with his change in appreciation for the beauty of the river over time. Also, figurative language is a common characteristic of Regionalism and Realism that Twain uses with his comparison of the doctor seeing a beauty mark as a symptom rather than what it truly is. All of these characteristics are what make Mark Twain’s memoir “Two Views of the River” and many of his other stories great work of Regionalism.


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 15, 2011

Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 504-505.