Our small town : setting, characterization and realism in Richard Russo's Empire falls

Abstract

Richard Russo has emerged as a distinctive voice in late twentieth century and early twenty-first century American literature with work that often centers on working-class themes and small-town life. In his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Empire Falls," Russo transports his readers to the small New England town of Empire Falls, Maine and introduces them to the large cast of characters who call it home. With "Empire Falls" Russo combines the literary techniques of setting and characterization to produce a realistic portrayal of American small-town life, giving readers the chance to see American literary realism in the modern era. This thesis argues that Richard Russo is a modern day realist, specifically using setting and characterization to bring readers back to the 18th and 19th century tradition of American realism. By using interdisciplinary work in the fields of cultural geography, anthropology and sociology in conjunction with literature, this thesis will help readers understand how realism emerges from Russo's setting and characterization. It will examine the concepts of community, locality and history as well as trace the evolution of the American small-town. By working with several pieces of Russo criticism and review; studying the literary devices and movements of setting, characterization and realism; and conducting a close reading of "Empire Falls" this thesis will show that Russo's work follows in the tradition of American literary realism in fiction through his use of setting and characterization. It will show that "Empire Falls" is not a satirical, idyllic look at small-town American, but a realistic portrayal of small-town life.