The Frontier Roots of American Realism

Gretchen Martin

ISBN 10: 0820488119 / ISBN 13: 9780820488110

Published by Peter Lang, Peter Lang, 2006

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - In the antebellum South, the 'plain folk' maintained social norms, ideals of honor, justice, gender, and liberty that were significantly distinct from town and planter gentility, and the humorists of the Old South captured this important distinction. Southwest humor flourished from the 1830s through the Civil War and this book provides a thorough investigation of the unique and innovative contributions of these humorists to the field of American literary realism, such as use of vernacular authenticity, complex character portraits, and the narrative technique of disclosure. Thus, when the Southwest humorists 'tell about the South,' they provide an endlessly entertaining and realistic representation of the vast complexities of the antebellum South and illustrate that the roots of literary realism were sown and nurtured on the southwestern frontier.

Seller Inventory # 9780820488110

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Frontier Roots of American Realism
• Publisher: Peter Lang, Peter Lang
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0820488119
• ISBN 13: 9780820488110
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 236W x 165H x 13D millimeters 236 millimeters width by 165 millimeters height by 13 millimeters depth
• Weight: 397 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In the antebellum South, the «plain folk» maintained social norms, ideals of honor, justice, gender, and liberty that were significantly distinct from town and planter gentility, and the humorists of the Old South captured this important distinction. Southwest humor flourished from the 1830s through the Civil War and this book provides a thorough investigation of the unique and innovative contributions of these humorists to the field of American literary realism, such as use of vernacular authenticity, complex character portraits, and the narrative technique of disclosure. Thus, when the Southwest humorists «tell about the South,» they provide an endlessly entertaining and realistic representation of the vast complexities of the antebellum South and illustrate that the roots of literary realism were sown and nurtured on the southwestern frontier.

About the Author

The Author: Gretchen Martin is Assistant Professor of American and Southern Literature at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. She received her Ph.D. in American literature from The University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Her publications are in the field of Southwest humor and Southern literature.