Earth-Eating, Addiction, Nostalgia: Charles Chesnutt's Diasporic Regionalism.

The article discusses nostalgia and addiction in the writings of African American author Charles W. Chesnutt and his writings on slaves in the Caribbean area who had a tendency to eat dirt and thereby kill themselves. Chesnutt often wrote about slavery and the period following that in the U.S. and some of his short stories, featuring the characters Julius and John, are discussed. It is noted that Chesnutt is often thought of as a local-color or regional author.