Faulkner's Realistic Regionalism

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Realistic Regionalism The use of Regionalism is one of the most important aspects of Southern Writers such as Faulkner or O’Connor. It does not just label them as Southern Writers but it gives them a special type of writing that can not be achieve by any author. By the use of Faulkner’s fake county of Yoknapatawhpa, one would believe this to be real county because of the passion that Falkner puts into the detail of explaining it; however little do they know that he models it after his home town of Lafayette. Falkner uses the fake county of Yoknatawhpa to describe the economy, topographical, and cultural traits of his southern home county. It just does not stop with the regions, but he uses characters to show some of the most controversial aspects of the South such as racism. Racism doesn’t just stick to African Americans but he also writes about the segregation between rich white landowners and the poor white landowners. Falkner does not just stop with using writing to talk about issues that involve everyday situations but he writes Flags in the Dust, which is about the unhealthy development of the South during war times. He also writes about some of the things that he enjoyed the most while he was child and uses them as a symbol of the South such as horses. Without the use of Faulkner’s regionalism his stories would not have the same impact, therefore it is important to notice Faulkner as a Southern Writer. To first understand how Falkner uses geography to describe the South it is important to understand what his fake county actually resembles. In his story, The Bear, the whole setting takes in the northern part of the fictional county Yoknapatawpha, Mississippi. Why does this matter? The northern part of the fictional county... ... middle of paper ... ...e use of writing about the regions that he lived in and that he had experienced, it lead to some of the most popular short stories of his day and age. By the way he had developed a fake county but used realistic detail in the development of the county makes the use of his regionalism extremely powerful. Also as he uses the exact stereotypes of the regions of the South it allows his readers to be on point with what he was trying to combat. Just like his strong creation of the county his characters can also be described as very powerful. They helped Faulkner combat the issues of his day while providing and interesting read. He even is able to use his own real life loves and experiences to provide topic to many of his short stories, which mostly had underlying themes in the south. Falkner will always be remembered as one of the greatest Southern Writers of all time.

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