Local color is a literary genre that seeks to record a specific way of life at a given time and space. The main components of local color fiction are therefore: One of the main characteristics One of the local color fictions is undoubtedly location – temporal and spatial. Jewett takes meticulous care in detailing the rural village of Oldfields, Boston. The very name of the novel “A Country Doctor” already gives the book the local color of its rural setting. Oldfields is set in a quiet desert inhabited by a few inhabitants where the characters' movements are confined to that space. Dunport is also another rural setting and Jewett describes it to the reader as Nan visits her aunt, Anne Prince. Due to the natural setting of the countryside, the pastoral genre has a clear influence. The romanticism of the time and sentimentality come into play. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The goal of local color fiction is to recover and preserve the past through literature. Therefore, the detailed location arouses feelings of nostalgia accompanied by a romanticization of the past golden age when things were idealized. “It will be good to remember the road of white roses… and…, I wonder if they will have a tinge of sadness towards others; …a fresh and delighted awareness of the possibilities of rural life” (Jewett 2005). Because the past cannot be relived, the characters pride themselves on enjoying a bygone era that the audience cannot indulge in. “Many locally colored writings objectify the intention of protecting regional interests…they achieve their goal by sentimentalizing or idealizing a way of life” (Dike, 1952). The memory of the habits and customs of the past constitutes an important part of the book. In the first scenes, the Jakes and the Martins are around the fireplace and talk about the life experiences they have had. Fondly recalling memories and carrying on tradition is the core of local color fiction. Resilient to change, the local genre of color fiction remains unalterable and the character rarely deviates from its habits once established. Due to the fixed past as the main theme, the characters are related to each other based on past events and relationships – some remain rooted in the past. past, while others intend to break the chains of the past. Some basic characters are ranked based on their adherence to lore. Local color fiction illustrates “the militant rigidity of the characters it deals with, their resolute and obviously conditioned devotion to values” (Dike 1952). The iconoclast Adeline chooses to rebel against her family, leaves her hometown and returns to infamy as the character of the Prodigal Son; while Anna Prince clings strictly to her customs and retains her old Southern ways. On the one hand, the characters who represent dying old age are Mrs. Graham and Dr. Ferris. On the other hand, the new era was ushered in by Nan Prince and George Gerry. Dr. Ferris, steeped in the country way of life, trained Nan to pursue the project. In keeping with pastoral concerns, the reader observes the Country versus City theme. In the novel, urban space is described in denigrating terms and rural dwellers who must venture outside the rural sphere find urban civilization unbearable and sometimes do not survive its rigors. Adeline, Nan's mother, in her youth, seeks pleasure away from the country estate, but returns ill, dying and "in the final stages of her decline"., 1981.