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Colonial Literature

Colonial Literature. 1620 Pilgrims land at Plymouth. European Renaissance (1300-1600). Jamestown 1607. Major influences of the Renaissance. Expansion of trade and growth of the middle class Agrarian revolution, decay of unions, development of the capitalist system

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Colonial Literature

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  1. Colonial Literature 1620 Pilgrims land at Plymouth

  2. European Renaissance (1300-1600) Jamestown 1607

  3. Major influences of the Renaissance • Expansion of trade and growth of the middle class • Agrarian revolution, decay of unions, development of the capitalist system • Creation of modern nation-states • Birth and development of the individual • Geographic discoveries

  4. Characterized by: • The rebirth of learning • Development of the concept of the free individual • Throwing off of traditional restraints of medieval learning and authority

  5. Motives for English coming to the New World • The assertion of British national pride and honor against the Spanish, French, and Dutch • Economic Considerations • Colonialism was a way to relieve England of some social problems • Propaganda about the New World as a glorious place • Free land, free from social ills • Desire to start an ideal Christian society • “Zion on the Hill”

  6. ColonialAmerica 1607-1763

  7. Before a distinctive American Literature could be written, three conditions had to be met: • Colonist had to be free from their survival needs to have time to think and write • They had to develop a sense of themselves as Americans • They had to develop a way to publish and distribute American writing to American readers

  8. Early American Literature was UTILITARIAN • Stressing practical usefulness rather than style or beauty

  9. Earlier colonial writing took the form of : • Narratives • Descriptions • Observations • Reports • Journals and histories John Smith

  10. Later colonial writing the emphasis shifts to: • Sermons • Poetry Puritan minister breaks up farm house frolic

  11. The Puritans • Basic tenets of 17th century Puritanism • God’ absolute authority and sovereignty • The scriptures as the basis of truth and the guide to life • Predestination • The belief that through God’s decree certain people are destined to be saved • The universal sinfulness of man • The election and salvation of some by God’s grace

  12. Characteristics of Puritan Literature • Strenuous and serious • Attempts to represent life truly • Every event represents a double reality • The event as a natural occurrence • The event as a significant message from God

  13. Puritan Influences on American Thought and Culture • Emphasis on hard work • A belief in democracy • The drive toward affluence • Emphasis on the value of education and science • A preoccupation with guilt • The notion of progress

  14. Early Writing in New England • More that the southern colonies, the circumstances in early New England favored literary development. The Puritans had a determined and disciplined way of life.

  15. Characteristics of the Puritan group who settled Plymouth Plantation and the Massachusetts Bay Colony area: • More compact settlements • High degree of industry • Disciplined enterprise • A community conscious of experience and purpose • Determined to make America their home

  16. Firsts in America • Facilities for literature were first provided in Massachusetts • First college, Harvard, 1636 • First printing press, Cambridge, 1638’ • First commercial press, Boston, 1674 • First successful newspaper, The Boston News--Letter, 1704

  17. Harvard College

  18. The Planters and the Puritans • Two contrasting value systems John Winthrop William Byrd

  19. Planters • Region: Virginia • Founded: Jamestown,1607 • Literary Figures: John Smith, William Byrd • Early Government: control by landed aristocracy • Motive: money and social position • Culture shaped by tobacco and by the plantation way of life

  20. Puritans • Region: Massachusetts • Founded: Plymouth, 1620 • Literary Figures: William Bradford, Cotton Mather, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, Jonathan Edwards • Early Government: Theocracy • Motive: religious freedom • Culture shaped by religion

  21. CulturalCharacteristics: • Planters • a desire to continue the English traditions of landed aristocracy • Based on slavery • Economic inequality • Conspicuous consumption • Scattered population with few towns • Assumption that life was to be enjoyed (dancing, horseback riding, gambling, drinking,music) • Division into upper and lower classes

  22. CulturalCharacteristics: • Puritans • A cluster of small towns • Much interchange of ideas • Rough economic equality • Emphasis on education and hard work • Economy based on small trades and crafts, sea industry, and farming • Development of the town-meeting system • Development of a majority of middle class

  23. Whipping a Quaker in Boston

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