The individual is everything or the world is nothing: morality and regionalism in the novels of David Adams Richards / by Michael David Allison

In response to those who have been content to apply the terms "regional" and "regionalist" to David Adams Richards's fiction, this study is intended to demonstrate how the misuse of such terms leads to a reductive interpretation of Richards's works. In the course of demonstrating how Richards does and does not fit the description of a regionalist, the study outlines how he is primarily interested in the conveyance of a simple, universal sense of morality. The thesis brings out this moral standpoint by examining his representation of families, nature, and social institutions. It is argued that Richards's regionalism grows from his moral standpoint. This study focuses upon three novels, 'Blood Ties' (1976), ' For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down' (1993), and 'Mercy Among the Children' (2000). These texts provide a representative sample of Richards's published works to date. This study uses these texts to outline a progression by which Richards moves from a brand of regional association built upon a connection to the region's geography and culture to a form of association determined by the political separation of the region from that which surrounds and influences it. Directly connected to this movement from one brand of regionalism to another are the shifts from subjectivity to objectivity in narration, as well as the shift from generality to specificity of regional detail. Despite these shifts, a simple form of morality remains paramount in Richards's works. Moreover, in an age when such concepts as nationalism and even regionalism are being questioned, Richards appears as a new voice, which calls for a movement forward by prescribing a lifestyle guided by a "Golden Rule" approach to existence.