Regionalismo: or ‘Regionalism’ is a term used to describe works of literature which focus on, and are framed by, the social and historical background of a specific region and its geographical or natural features.Roberto Reis, “Regionalism: Brazil.” In Concise Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature, ed. Verity Smith. (London: Taylor and Francis, 2014), 533. In a Brazilian literary context, novels that portray the interior of the country were traditionally referred to as ‘sertanistas.’Reis, “Regionalism,” 533.  Although 19th century ‘sertanista novels’ aimed to highlight the growing disparity between national power centres on the coast and the destitute interior, scholars have criticised these early works of rural regionalism for their limited fixation with a novel’s aesthetic traits rather than as a means of pure social critique.Stein, “DEBASING,” 5.
