Two Views of the River

Mark Twain is one of the highest regarded regionalism writers in US history. His novels were famous for their use of Missourian dialect and speech patterns and popularization of the stereotypical man from Missouri. He popularized the style of speech used in rural Missouri and painted convincing portraits of all of his characters through his masterful use of dialect. Growing up in Missouri had a large influence on the writer who set almost all of his novels and stories in Missouri, the most famous of which Hannibal, he put on the map. On occasion when not writing the dialect he would write of the immense beauty of the state and it's namesake river usually with focus of the narrator on a steamboat, one of his favorite things in the world. Through his masterful use of language and metaphors Twain is able to convey the natural beauty of the landscape.

His short story "Two Views of the River" was written about one of Twain's rides on a steamboat, a favorite activity of the author. The novel shows characteristics of regionalism as defined by Werlock, "A literary subgenre that emphasizes the setting, history, speech, dialect, and customs of a particular geographical locale or area, not only for local color, but also for development of universal themes through the use of the local and particular." Twain was almost fanatical of his love for his state and this bled through in his writing style where he would set almost all of his stories in or around Missouri. His short story is rare in that it did not use any dialect or Missourian speech patterns, it was only Twain's documentation of the emotions he felt as he rode down the Missouri on a steamboat.

With lines such as "A broad epanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was borken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was dnesely wooded, and the somber shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver, and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun." Twain is able to convey the natural beauty of the Missouri River accounting for the importance of the setting and glorifying it for the reader making the river seem like one of the most beautiful things they will ever witness in their life. He is able to so masterfully paint this portrait that his praise for the region becomes clear and the make is easily categorized as a regionalism piece.

Twain, Mark. "from Two Views of the River." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 504-505. Print.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).