ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

American literary regionalism

Alright kiddo, when we talk about American Literary Regionalism, what we mean is the writing that focuses on specific places in America. For example, a writer might focus on the deep south, or the wild west, or even just one small town.

Now, when writers do this, they aren't just talking about the physical location. They are also writing about the people who live there, how they talk, what their culture is like, and what they think is important. So, a writer who focuses on the deep south might write about the food, the music, and the people who have unique accents.

This type of writing really started to become popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At that time, people were starting to realize that America was a really big and diverse place. They wanted to learn more about the different regions and cultures across the country.

So, writers started to focus more on these specific places and the people who lived there. They wanted to show readers what it was really like to live in these different areas. And readers loved it! It helped them feel connected to other parts of the country and better understand the people who lived there.

Today, we still see a lot of regionalism in American literature. Many writers still choose to focus on specific regions or even specific neighborhoods within cities. And like in the past, this type of writing can help us better understand each other and the different cultures that make our country so unique.