Realism Project: Edgar Lee Masters

Edgar Lee Masters was born in Garnett, Kansas, on August 23, 1868, to homesteading parents ("Edgar..."). He later moved to Illinois and spent the remainder of his adult life in Chicago, Illinois ("Edgar..."). There he wrote "Spoon River Anthology," which is a series of poems that tell the stories of the dead of Illinois. This shows characteristics of regionalism because it pertains to the lives of a certain people in the midwest. Also, the writing style is like that of regionalism. The following part is the first poem of the "Spoon River Anthology," and it is called "Hill."

Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley,
The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter?
All, all are sleeping on the hill.

One passed in a fever,
One was burned in a mine,
One was killed in a brawl,
One died in a jail,
One fell from a bridge toiling for children and wife-
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.

Where are Ella, Kate, Mag, Lizzie and Edith,
The tender heart, the simple soul, the loud, the proud, the happy one?--
All, all are sleeping on the hill.

One died in shameful child-birth,
One of a thwarted love,
One at the hands of a brute in a brothel,
One of a broken pride, in the search for heart's desire;
One after life in far-away London and Paris
Was brought to her little space by Ella and Kate and Mag--
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.

Where are Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily,
And old Towny Kincaid and Sevigne Houghton,
And Major Walker who had talked With venerable men of the revolution?--
All, all are sleeping on the hill.

They brought them dead sons from the war,
And daughters whom life had crushed,
And their children fatherless, crying--
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where is Old Fiddler Jones
Who played with life all his ninety years,
Braving the sleet with bared breast,
Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin,
Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven?
Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago,
Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary's Grove,
Of what Abe Lincoln said
One time at Springfield.

This shows regionalism because the people of the midwest had a very simple dialect. It was not like the dialect of the south or the far west or the north east. It was simple, straight, and to the point, and that is how this first poem and introduction was written. It was written in a factual way that told the reader about the lives of the dead people of a certain town. It also had a gloomy tone because, after all, these were dead people talking about their lives and society, a characteristic of the realism literary period. One of the things that is different than usual works of literature is that this is a whole collection of poems. The name of this book of poems is different yet very appropriate for the time period. "Spoon River Anthology" was named after a river close to where Edgar Lee Masters actually grew up, Spoon River. Using this as name of the book is also considered regionalism, because the author used a familiar and specific region. These characteristics make this book of poems by Edgar Lee Masters a great addition t the regionalism and realism literary categories.

Works Cited

"Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology." Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. Infobahn Outfitters, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

Masters, Edgar Leed. "Spoon River Anthology." Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. Infobahn Outfitters, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.