Local Color Literature

aye! Yo! Fuggedaboudit! Being from New Jersey has made us the punch line for many comics’ jokes lately. Television shows like The Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and even The Sopranos have portrayed New Jerseyans in (at times) a not-so-flattering light. Many of these shows mention the “funny” way New Jerseyans speak. Take five minutes to write about words or phrases that you think are unique to New Jersey OR write about meeting people from a different part of the country and how you noticed words or phrases that they used were different or “funny.” ;-)

What is “local Color”? Local color or regional literature focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region in the United States. Popular in American Literature between the Civil War and the end of the 19th century. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html

What are some characteristics of this literature? Use of dialect to establish credibility and authenticity of regional characters. Dialect is “a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary” Use of detailed description especially of small, seemingly insignificant details central to an understanding of the region. Frequent use of a frame narrative (a story within a story) the narrator hears some tale of the region and then tells the story he/she heard to the reader.

Bret Harte Born in Albany, New York in 1836 Moved West in 1854, and worked odd jobs before becoming a journalist Became a very famous author in his time Editor of California’s best magazine, the Overland Monthly, which was known throughout the US and even in England. Known for his stories of the Wild West Wrote about life in the early California mining camps (the “Forty-Niners”) even though it was now 20 years in the past. Writing includes humor, colorful characters, dialect, and virtue triumphing over immorality.