1美国文学

Major Periods of American Literary Development

1.Early American Literature 1 620-1820

ⅠThe Literature of Colonial America

ⅡThe Literature of Reason and Revolution

2. American Romanticism 1820-1865

3. American Realism 1865-1910

4. American Modernism 1910-1960

Part I The Literature of Colonial America

Historical Background

The earliest settlers included Dutch, Swedes, Germans, French, Spaniards, Italians, and Portuguese.

1. Early history:

1) In 1492, Christopher Columbus found the new continent called America.

2) The first permanent English settlement in North America was established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. （John Smith）英国第一个登陆的城市

3) In 1620, 102 passengers sailed on the ship Mayflower across the sea and settled on the new continent “New England”.

Puritan thoughts:

Why did the Puritans come to America? What do you know about them?

–to reform the Church of England

–to escape religious persecution, in search of religious freedom

–to have an entirely new church

Belief---Puritanism(Calvinists: a code of values; a philosophy of life)---- took roots in the New World

Puritans wanted to “purify the church” to its or iginal state, because they thought the church was corrupted and had too many rituals

The dominating values of the Puritan were：A. hard work B. thrift C. piety D. sobriety（影响其文风）

Doctrines of Puritans

taking religion as the most important thing; living for glorifying God;

believing predestination, original sin, total depravity, limited atonement

Features of American Puritan

Idealist---dream：they would build the new land to an Eden on earth.

more practical, tougher---the severe conditions; struggle for survival; preoccupied with business

and profits

Enduring shaping influence on literature

1.Basis of American literature: All literature is based on a myth – Garden of Eden.

2.Contributing to the development of Symbolism（象征主义）: a technique, widely used

3.Influencing the style of literature: simple, fresh and direct (just as the style of the Authorized Version of Holy Bible)

Symbolism（象征主义）

Symbolism means using symbols in literary works. The symbol means something that represents or stands for abstract deep meaning.

Literature

What are the first writing?

The first writings that we call American were the narratives and journals of these settlements. histories, letters, travel books, contract, government charters ,statement, autobiographies, sermons

John Smith (1580–1631)

the 1st American Writer ; soldier, sailor,

A True Relation of Such Occurrences & Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony. (1608)（成名作）《殖民地第一次在弗吉尼亚开拓以来发生的各种事件的真实介绍》

A Map of Virginia: with a Description of the Country《弗吉尼亚地图：一个乡村的描述》. General History of Virginia《弗吉尼亚通史》---famous tale of the Indian princess Pocahontas saved him from the wrath of her father Powhatan

William Bradford and John Winthrop

William Bradford“五月花”号上的领导者，《五月花号公约》的主要起草人，后来成为普利茅斯殖民地的总督

he History of Plymouth Plantation《普利茅斯种植园史》

–account of the Puritans ; represent his life of faith （P 6 a verse)

–other writings: letters, proses, a narrative poem

–simplicity, earnestness, direct reporting, readable, moving

John Winthrop（约翰·温思罗普，美国殖民地领导人,马萨诸萨湾清教徒总督）–The History of New England《新英格兰史》: candid, simplicity, honesty

Both Bradford’s and Winthrop’s works are records of the historical events, of direct and vigorous prose style

John Cotton and Roger Williams

John Cotton

–the spiritual leader of the community and its guiding influence toward the ideal of theocracy(a state ruled by the church).