Dialects in American Literature

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries dialect was not common in American Literature. Writers who attempted to accurately capture American dialect and slang often failed to make it believable. In my essay, "Dialects in American Literature," I will compare and contrast three writers who used dialect in their writings and explain the difference between effective and ineffective use of dialect. The writers I will be discussing are Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and William Dean Howells.
The use of dialect in American literature comes from using a combination of realism and regionalism. According to dictionary.com "realism is an inclination toward literal truth and pragmatism and regionalism is the use of regional characteristics, as of locale, custom, or speech, in literature or art." Regionalism includes local language, which is often expressed by using dialect. Three examples of accurately capturing regionalism are: Bret Harte's "The Outcasts......

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Title: Dialects In American Literature
Approximate Word Count: 2145
Approximate Pages: 9 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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