American local color writing, 1880-1920
By: edited, with an introduction and notes by Elizabeth Ammons and Valerie Rohy.
Contributors: Ammons, Elizabeth.; Rohy, Valerie.
Edition: printing (1)
Series: Penguin Classics
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 448
ISBN-13: 9780140436884
Copyright date: 1998
Subjects: American fiction -- 19th century.; American fiction -- 20th century.; Short stories, American.; Local color in literature.; Regionalism in literature.; United States -- History, Local -- Fiction.
Description: The era between the Civil War and the end of World War I, marked by increasing nation-building, immigration, internal migration, and racial tension in the United States, saw the rise of local color literature that described through "lived experiences" the peculiarities of regional life. This anthology brings together works from every part of the country, written by men and women of many cultures, ethnicities, ideologies, and literary styles. 

American Local Color Writing features such familiar writers as Joel Chandler Harris, Kate Chopin, Hamlin Garland, and Sarah Orne Jewett, and introduces less well-known voices like Sui Sin Far, Abraham Cahan, and Zitkala-Sa. The writings sheds light on varying concepts of "the American identity": Charles Chesnutt, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Pauline Hopkins, and others present a distinct African-American experience; shifting notions of gender and sexuality come to light not only in pieces by women but also in nostalgic renditions of frontier life as the embodiment of masculine virtues and values; and racial, class, and ethnic stereotypes are reproduced and challenged in many of the stories.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. xxix-xxx).