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What is "local color" writing?

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"Local color" writing emphasizes a specific region and its inhabitants, incorporating local dialects and cultural nuances. It often includes historical and geographical references unique to the area, which may be unfamiliar to outsiders. In American literature, it notably emerged after the Civil War, focusing on the American South and its folklore. This style brings authenticity and richness to storytelling by vividly depicting a region's distinct characteristics.

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Writing with "local color" refers to focusing on a certain region and the people who live there. The dialogue in such writing is peppered with local colloquialisms and linguistic peculiarities.

Such writing may contain historical and geographical references that may not be immediately familiar to an outsider. For example, if a South African writer were to write in local color, then their writing would be likely to include words of Afrikaans interspersed with English. Such writing may also make reference to plants like fever trees and animals like dassies, which someone who has never lived in South Africa is likely to be unfamiliar with.

Local color writing can also refer to a specific type of American literature which is characteristic of the period just after the Civil War. Writers in this subgenre focused on showcasing a particular region—usually the American South—together with its history and folklore.

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