美国文学史知识点梳理

Part I The Literature of Colonial America

I．Historical Introduction

The colonial period stretched roughly from the settlement of America in the early 17th century through the end of the 18th. The first permanent settlement in America was established by English in 1607. ( A group of people was sent by the English King James I to hunt for gold. They arrived at Virginia in 1607. They named the James River and build the James town.)

II．The pre-revolutionary writing in the colonies was essentially of two kinds:

1) Practical matter-of-fact accounts of farming, hunting, travel, etc. designed to inform people "at home" what life was like in the new world, and, often, to induce their immigration

2) Highly theoretical, generally polemical, discussions of religious questions. III．The First American Writer

The first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. They wrote about their voyage to the new land, their lives in the new land, their dealings with Indians.

Captain John Smith is the first American writer.

A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony (1608)

A Map of Virginia: A Description of the Country (1612)

General History of Virgini a (1624): the Indian princess Pocahontas

Captain John Smith was one of the first early 17th-century British settlers in North America. He was one of the founders of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. His writings about North America became the source of information about the New World for later settlers.

One of the things he wrote about that has become an American legend was his capture by the Indians and his rescue by the famous Indian Princess, Pocahontas. IV．Early New England Literature

William Bradford and John Winthrop

John Cotton and Roger Williams

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor

V．Puritan Thoughts

1. The origin of puritan

In the mediaeval Europe, there was widespread religious revolution. In the 16th Century, the English King Henry VIII (At that time, the Catholics were not allowed to divorce unless they have the Pope's permission. Henry VIII wanted to divorce his

wife because she couldn't bear him a son. But the Pope didn't allow him to divorce, so he) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church & established the Church of

England. But there was no radical difference between the doctrines of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. A group of people thought the Church of England was too Catholic and wanted to purify the church. Then came the name Puritans.

2. Puritanism -- based on Calvinism

(1) predestination: God's elect

Puritans believed they are predestined before they were born.

Nothing or no good work can change their fate.

They believed the success of one's business is the sign to show he is the God's elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics.

(2) Origianl sin and total depravity

Man is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude towards life.

(3) Limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few)

(4) theocracy

They combined state with religion. Their government is at least not a liberal one.

The Puritans established American tradition -- intolerant moralism. They strictly punished drunks, adultery & heretics.

Puritans changed gradually due to the severity of frontier environment

3. Influence on American Literature

(1) Its optimism

American literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is based on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. After that, man have an illusion to restore the paradise. The puritans, after arriving at America, believing that God must have sent them to this new land to restore the lost paradise, to build the wilderness into a new Garden of Eden. Fired with such a strong sense of mission, they treated life with a tremendous amount of optimism. The optimistic Puritan has exerted a great influence on American literature.

(2) Puritan's metaphorical mode of perception changed gradually into a literary symbolism.

Part II The Literature of Reason And Revolution

I．Historical Introduction

With the growth, especially of industry, there appeared the intense strain with England. The British government did not want colonial industries competing with those in England. The British wanted the colonies to remain politically and economically dependent on the mother country. They took a series of measures to insure this dependence. They prevented colonial economy by requiring Americans to ship raw materials abroad and to import finished goods at prices higher than the cost of making them in this country. Politically, the British government forced dependence