“‘It’s a Cu’ous Thing ter Me, Suh’: The Distinctive Narrative Innovation of Literary Dialect in Late-Nineteenth Century American Literature”

Author

Kym M. Goering, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/F975-QA72

Defense Date

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

English

First Advisor

Terry Oggel

Second Advisor

John Kneebone

Third Advisor

Michael Hall

Abstract

American literature and verse advanced in dialectal writing during the late-nineteenth century. Charles Chesnutt’s “The Goophered Grapevine” (1887), “Po’ Sandy” (1888), and “Hot-Foot Hannibal” (1899); Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (1881); Thomas Nelson Page’s “Marse Chan” (1884); and Mark Twain’s “Sociable Jimmy” (1874) and “A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It” (1874) provided diverse dialect representations. Dialect expanded into poetry with

James Whitcomb Riley’s “She ‘Displains’ It” (1888), “When the Frost is on the Punkin” (1882), and “My Philosofy” (1882) and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “The Spellin’ Bee” (1895), “An Ante-Bellum Sermon” (1895), and “To the Eastern Shore” (1903). Dialect styles and how they conveyed political or social perspectives are assessed. Correspondence between late-nineteenth century literary figures as well as periodical reviews reveal attitudes toward the use of dialect. Reader responses to dialect based on their political or social interpretations are explored.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

12-6-2016