The period between 1840 and the end of World War One is when European regional literature really flourished, says Marguérite Corporaal, Professor of Irish Literature in Transnational Contexts and head of the research programme. To give some idea of this period, many proponents of the genre such as Selma Lagerlöf, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and writers like Knut Hamsun, who actually won the Nobel Prize for Literature, can be found among the great nineteenth-century names in Scandinavian literature. Even the French writer George Sand wrote pastoral novels about Berry, the region where she was born, which were well-known and well-received. And before J.M. Barrie became famous for Peter Pan, he wrote books about his birthplace and rural life in Scotland.
International dissemination
The nineteenth century is also the period that is often associated with the rise of nationalism. It has been argued that regional literature reflects this claim, but paradoxically, regional literature is also very international, says Corporaal. “Many titles were translated and disseminated across Europe and beyond.” Giulia Bruna is currently investigating how regional literature was disseminated, and how the networks of writers, translators (who were often also writers themselves), and publishers were formed. “The European publishers all knew each other and exchanged titles. Regional literature was popular everywhere and even though the focus was repeatedly placed on the uniqueness of a region, this was apparently the very thing that appealed to readers everywhere.” Corporaal adds: “Books reached so many readers in different countries because of a media revolution that, in terms of scale or scope, may be compared with the advent of social media. Illustrated magazines, which initially contained etchings and in the latter part of the century also included photographs, were the new media of the nineteenth century. These magazines conveyed news, but also often contained sketches or literary stories, which frequently focused on regions in other parts of Europe. And the dissemination of these publications was quite rapid, for that time. The region took a journey through Europe.” In addition to this, says researcher Chris Cusack, more people went to school in the nineteenth century, which resulted in a greater readership throughout the Western world.
Cultural identity
Regional literature lent itself to presenting a cultural identity, for example through language. Bruna states: “There were writers who explored specific language, regional words in their work in an almost ethnographic way.” Cusack adds: “This kind of language also fascinates me. Due to the national education systems, standard languages became the norm across the country. This also resulted in regional languages either being put under pressure or disappearing entirely. It’s also interesting to look at how these dialects were translated.” According to the researchers, regional novels were also a response to modernity. “The world was globalising, and this went hand in hand with loss. Individuality was allowed and even needed to be retained,” concludes Corporaal. “People moved from one country to another, or took a seasonal job abroad. Many books were about the changing world in which immigration also played a role.”
Portable memories
For migrants and emigrants, the regional novel served as a ‘portable memory’. Bruna refers to it as ‘ethnostalgia’. “Sometimes the region was portrayed as being even more beautiful and idyllic than it really was. The new medium of photography was also used to showcase the region at its best.” In his research on migrant literature, Cusack has frequently encountered “strange things, like German-language books set in the United States that also seemed to be some sort of commentary on life there, or offered an explanation of how things worked in America, which had been written for German immigrants. They’re remarkable books, and although they’re not necessarily all that good, they often sold quite well - even in Germany, for that matter.”
Five recommended regional novels
-
Sarah Orne Jewett,
The Country of the Pointed Firs(1896). A literary classic about life in the coastal region of Maine, USA.
-
Jane Barlow,
From the Land of the Shamrock(1890). A series of short stories about the Irish countryside.
-
Jacob Jan Cremer,
Betuwsche Novellen(1856). A series of sketches that take place in the vicinity of Driel, a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland.
-
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson,
Brudeslåtten (1872). A story about rural life in Telemark, Norway. -
George Sand,
La Mare Au Diable(1846). A popular novel about rural romance, partly on Sand’s own youth.
Photo: Vinson Tan ( 楊 祖 武 ) via Pixabay.