Constance Fenimore Woolson, as a 19th-century American female writer, is renowned for her travelogues and regional literature creations. Despite Henry James' high praise for her, modern critics consider her works to lack depth and view her as a representative of rural literature. In the 20th century, the American literary world generally believed that rural literature could not be compared to classical art, which led to the damage of Woolson's literary reputation. However, Woolson's creative philosophy stems from her rich travel experience and keen observation of cultural differences. Her works are characterized by a realistic style and meticulous landscape descriptions. This article places Woolson's writing in the context of Southern travelogues after the American Civil War, arguing that her Southern writing is not traditional rural literature, but rather echoes the integration and compilation of the South in the national discourse of the United States at that time. Woolson's literary perspective focuses on the modernization and integration process of the United States, and his works, like male classics, belong to "nationalist" literature in terms of themes.

The "Corner" and "Cultural Relics" in Journey to the South

After the American Civil War, the North attempted to change the economic form of the South through the "Reconstruction" project, correct the division of national psychology, reintegrate Southern culture into the concept of "America", and restore national integrity. President Roosevelt emphasized the virtues of brotherhood and heroism, but there was no consensus on national and regional relations, leading to confusion in the intellectual community. The civil war established the importance of national unity, but the debate over American identity continued. Regionalists believe that national administrative identity is different from cultural unity, such as Austen's advocacy for a deeper understanding of multiple Americans. Thinkers who pursue unity believe that localism is over, that American orthodoxy and standardization are common, and that regional consciousness is vulgar, ignorant, and narrow-minded.

Strangers in unfamiliar places

An in-depth analysis of the political and cultural aspects of Southern travelogue writing after the American Civil War reveals that this writing transformed the differences between the North and the South into colonial discourse, constructing a primitive and inferior image of the South. Woolson's works reflect the "unfamiliar" imagination of the North towards the South, showcasing the complexity of North South relations through the concept of "strangers in unfamiliar places" in the short story "The Graveyard Rodman". This concept not only reflects the alienation of the North from the South, but also foreshadows the stranger society described by Simmel. Woolson's Southern writing had a profound impact on other American regional writers, such as Murphy's work 'In the Land of Strangers'.

Gaze and Collection: The "Cultural Relicization" and "Americanization" of the South

By analyzing Woolson's Southern writing, this paper explores how the southern regions of the United States were "objectified" and "Americanized" by northern tourists in the late 19th century through text forms such as travelogues. The natural and cultural forms of the South are depicted as having a pre modern "rustic color", while southerners are seen as exhibits in museums and become objects of gaze and enjoyment for northern tourists. Northern tourists are depicted as pioneers in the process of cultural unity between the North and the South, shouldering the mission of eliminating the primitiveness of the South and Americanizing it. In Woolson's representative work "For the Major," the southern town and its residents are depicted as isolated and stagnant, with the central character, Major Carroll, becoming a living cultural relic representative whose living conditions and way of thinking do not match the scientific "progressive" thinking of the late 19th century. The novel depicts how the residents of a small southern town turn their daily lives into ceremonial performances centered around the Colonel, through the life of Colonel Carroll's family, in order to maintain their identity illusion. In addition, the short story "Philippa" portrays the process of "Americanization" in the South from the perspective of a northern painter, portraying the South as a virgin land with abundant production/sexual resources, but wandering outside of "American life" due to wrong choices. The gender identity crisis of Felipa is rooted in the hegemonic suppression and regulation of the Northern civilization order. Woolson's Southern writing promoted cultural integration between the North and the South after the Civil War, but its value was overlooked by the critics under the influence of gender politics, and it was regarded as a rural writer and became a shadow of Henry James.