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Early American Literature 1607 - 1848

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Early American literature, from 1607 to 1848, reflects Puritan beliefs, emphasizing the relationship between individuals and God. Writers like Edward Taylor and Anne Bradstreet produced religious poems and sermons that highlight values such as the importance of love over wealth. Common genres included sermons, religious tracts, and diaries, focusing on themes relevant to the New World, such as encounters with Native Americans and evolving social norms. By the late 1700s, short fiction gained popularity, depicting realistic characters and dialects while addressing societal issues like slavery and governmental structure.

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Early American Literature 1607 - 1848

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  1. Early American Literature1607 - 1848 Characteristics

  2. Puritan beliefs displayed • Example: poetry by Edward Taylor or Anne Bradstreet • writer examines relationship with God; • OR writer’s ideas reflect Puritan values, like love being more important than wealth; • OR work is a sermon or religious tract explaining a belief

  3. Typical early genres • sermon, religious poem, religious tract, diaries or journals • Example: Taylor’s or Bradstreet’s religious poems; Mather’s sermons; Bradford’s history. • By end of 1700s, short fiction also became popular (add this to the options on your worksheet)

  4. Settings firmly grounded in the new world • Story is located in America. • Place names and other details make this clear.

  5. Focus on issues unique to the new world • Revolutionary War & creation of new government • Encounters with Native Americans • Forming new social norms – people don’t have to behave just like they did in Europe • Surviving in a wilder environment • etc.

  6. Concerns about Native Americans • Settlers’ relationship with Native Americans • How should Native Americans be treated? • What are Native Americans like?

  7. Concerns about slavery • Is it acceptable? • What are its consequences?

  8. Developing new social codes and/or a national identity • How should people behave, e.g. • romantic relationships • marriage • status • treatment of Native Americans/slaves • What should the government be like?

  9. Fictional plots are simple; stories are more like sketches • Sketch • prose that describes a scene or character; • not much plot, no conflict, no resolution

  10. Use of realistic dialects • Characters sound like regular people, not aristocrats • How do we identify “realistic”? • Shortened words show natural pronunciation • charg’d, won’t, havin’, whipt • Look for flavoring particles • today you use “like” and “ya know” – what might be the equivalent in the stories you read? • Phonetic spelling of accented English • de = the; ting = thing

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