Unit 1 Benjamin Franklin

Puritanism in America
Why did Puritans（清教徒） coligious persecution
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to reform the Church of England to have an entirely new church To seek a new Garden of Eden To build “City of God on earth”
Benjamin Franklin（1706-1790）
God help those who help themselves.(自助者天 助）- Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin（1706-1790）
One of the greatest founding fathers of the American Nation first great self-made man in America • The embodiment of American dream • a rare genius in human history • Jack of all trades(百事通）: statesman， scientist, inventor, writer , business man, diplomat, essayist, printer, postmaster, almanac maker, orator, philosopher, political economist, ambassador, almost everything
expansion or both Form: imitating English literary traditions
★American Puritanism（清教主义）
• Simply speaking, American Puritanism just refers to the spirit and ideal of puritans who settled in the North American continent in the early part of the seventeenth century because of religious persecutions(迫害）. In content it means scrupulous （小心谨慎） moral rigor（苛刻), especially hostility to social pleasures and indulgences, that is strictness, sternness and austerity（苦行） in conduct and religion.
★Puritanism: Puritan values /Creeds（信条）


hard work thrift （节俭） Piety（虔诚） Sobriety（节制）
Puritans are more practical, tougher, and to be ever ready for any misfortune and tragic failure. They are optimistic.
★ Brief Outline of American Literature
• 1.The Colonial period（殖民地时期）:(约1607-1765） • 2.The Revolutionary period（革命时期):(1765-18世纪 末）
• ★3. The Romantic period （浪漫主义时期）: （18001865）
★ Franklin’s Contributions to Society
a. Pennsylvania(宾夕法尼亚) Hospital; b. America’s first circulating library in Philadephia; c. University of Pennsylvania; d. American Philosophical Society; e. the postal system…
Some basic characteristics of American literature • Short history but great achievement • Began with oral myths, legends, tales • Poetry ,fiction, drama ,essay , all highly developed • Female, ethnic (种族的）literature came into centre

General features types of writing: diaries, histories, journals, letters,
travel books, autobiographies/biographies, sermons

Content : : serving either God or colonial
without a touch of nobility often traceable to the
direct influence of the Bible.
★American Dream （美国梦）
The American Dream is the faith held by many in the United States of American that through hard work, courage, and determination one can achieve a better life for oneself, usually through financial prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations. Nowadays the American Dream has led to an emphasis on material wealth as a measure of success and /or happiness.
★ American Puritanism（清教主义）
• With time passing it became a dominant factor in American life, one of the most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American Literature. To some extent it is a state of mind, a part of the national cultural atmosphere. Actually it is a code of values, a philosophy of life and a point of view in American minds.
心胸开阔不要为不快的区区琐事而心烦意乱悲观失望勿因小事或普通不可避免的事而惊慌失措
American Literature
Introduction
• What does it mean by American Literature ? • Some basic characteristics of American Literature • ★Brief Outline of American Literature
Pennsylvania Hospital,1775
Franklin on the first US postage stamp
Franklin on the Series 2011 hundred dollar bill
Franklin’s Contributions to Science
a. Inventions : Franklin stove （富兰克林暖炉）, effective street lighting, bifocal glasses （双焦点眼镜）, a miniature printing press, efficient heating devices and even a strange musical instrument called an “armonica”（玻璃琴）. b. And for his lightning-rod（避雷针）, he was called “the new Prometheus （普 罗米修斯）who had stolen fire from heaven.” c. the theories of electricity; first applied the terms “positive”（正极） and “negative” （负极）to electrical charges
He was the only American to sign the four documents that created the United States: The Declaration of Independence《独立宣言》 The Treaty of Alliance with France The Treaty of Peace with England The Constitution 《美国宪法》
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Jack of All Trades
A scientist diplomat philanthropist
The prototype of the American dream
Franklin’s Contributions to the U.S.
★Influence of Puritanism
1. American Puritanism was one of the most enduring
shaping influences in American thought and
American literature. 2. American literature is based on a myth, i.e. the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. 3. Puritanism can be compared with Chinese Confucianism（儒教）. 4. With regard to their writing, the style is fresh, simple and direct; the rhetoric is plain and honest, not
Features of Puritanism
1) Predestination（宿命论）: God decided everything before things occurred. 2) Original sin(原罪）: Human beings were born to be evil, and this original sin can be passed down from generation to generation. 3) Total depravity（全部堕落/性恶说）: Humanity’s utter corruption since the Fall. 4) Limited atonement（赎罪）: Only the “elect” can be saved.
• ★4. The Realism and Naturalism（现实主义和自然主
义) : （1865-1918）
• ★5. The Modern period (现代主义时期）: 1918-1945
• 6. Contemporary literature（当代文学) :（1945- ）
Chapter One : Colonial Period (1607-1775)
What does it mean by American literature ?
• By the literature of the United States, we mean all written and oral literary works produced in that part of the world has become the United States of America.