Regionalism ("local color"): A term applied to literature which emphasizes a special geographical setting and concentrates on the history, manners and folkways of the area as these help to shape the lives or behavior of the characters.<http://www.digitex.net/renard/>

Western:  A novel set in the United States, featuring the experiences of cowboys and frontiersmen. Many are little more than adventure novels, but some have literary value. <http://www.sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/litterms.htm>

Southwestern Literature: Any literature created (typically from 1940 to the present) about the southwestern United States that focuses on, but not limited to southern religion, slavery, cowboys, and southern government/politics.