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Similar a 2. The Colonial and Early National Period (the 17th Century up to 1820) - Early American and Colonial Literature.pptx
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2. The Colonial and Early National Period (the 17th Century up to 1820) - Early American and Colonial Literature.pptx
- 1. THE COLONIALAND EARLYNATIONALPERIOD (THE 17TH CENTURYUPTO 1820) Early American and Colonial Literature
- 2. Peoples indigenous to the Americas orally perform and transmit various “literary” genres, including speeches, songs, and stories. Native American Oral Literature Some of the most popular stories are related to the creation of the world (e.g., the myth of the turtle holding up the world). The songs or poetry, like the narratives, range from the sacred to the light and humorous: There are lullabies, war chants, love songs, and special songs for children’s games, magic, or dance ceremonials.
- 3. John Smith was an English explorer and early leader of the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement in North America. Captain John Smith (1580-1631) John Smith produced some of the most detailed reports about early Virginia: A True Relation of Virginia, A description of New England, Generall Historie of Virginia…, and True Travels. These works are meant to persuade the reader to settle in the New World.
- 4. Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles includes the story of the famous Indian maiden Pocahontas and of how she saves John Smith’s life when he was a prisoner of her father, Chief Powhatan: Captain John Smith (1580-1631) “…two great stones were brought before Powhatan: then as many as could layd hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs, to beate out his braines, Pocahontas the Kings dearest daughter, when no intreaty could prevaile, got his head in her armes, and laid her owne vpon his to saue him from death: whereat the Emperour was contented he should lieu…”
- 5. A second wave of permanent colonists came in the 17th century. The early literature of exploration (diaries, letters, travel journals, ships’ logs) was gradually replaced by records of the settled colonies. The first Puritan colonists who settled New England exemplified the seriousness of Reformation Christianity. Known as the “Pilgrims,” they were a small group of believers who had migrated from England to Holland — even then known for its religious tolerance — in 1608, during a time of persecutions.
- 6. Of Plymouth Plantation • describes the Puritans’ difficult relations with the Indians. It also describes their difficulties during the first winter; • recounted in the “plain style” which the Puritans admired; • examples were drawn either from the Bible or from the everyday life of farmers and fishermen; • influenced by the belief that God directs everything that happens. William Bradford (1590-1657)
- 7. The History of New England • Winthrop believed that most events could be seen as a sign from God. • also written in the “plain style”, but far less cheerful. • rarely shows shock or sadness, even when he describes scenes of great unhappiness. John Winthrop (1588-1649) “We had now fair sunshine weather, and so pleasant a sweet air as did much refresh us, and there came a smell off shore like the smell of a garden.”
- 8. The American Revolution against Britain (1775-1783) was the first modern war of liberation against a colonial power. Yet with the exception of outstanding political writing, few works of note appeared during or soon after the Revolution WRITERS OF THE REVOLUTION The Founding Fathers, the men who led the Revolution and who wrote the Constitution of 1789, were inspired by the European “Age of Reason” or “Enlightenment”.
- 9. • Writer, printer, publisher, scientist, philanthropist, and diplomat. • America’s “first great man of letters” (David Hume). • Believed that writing should always have a purpose. • His works are written in the “plain style”. • Constant interest in self-improvement. • Initiated the self-help book. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
- 10. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Poor Richard’s Almanack The Way to Wealth Autobiography
- 11. Letters from an American Farmer (1782) “What then is the American, this new man? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations....Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause changes in the world.” Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur (1735-1813)
- 12. The Declaration of Independence (1776) First draft of the Declaration of Independence, in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson with alterations and corrections in the handwriting of Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
- 13. Three-fold discussion in terms of how America literature should grow: 1) American literature still lacked national feeling; 2) American literature was too young to declare its independence from the British literary tradition; 3) The call for a national literature was a mistake. Good literature was universal, always rising above the time and place where it was written. WRITERS OF FICTION Washington Irving James Fenimore Cooper Herman Melville Ralph Waldo Emerson Nathaniel Hawthorne etc.
- 14. A History of New York, by Diedrich Knickerbocker (1810-1840 - the “Knickerbocker era” of American literature) • a comic history of the Dutch regime in New York Washington Irving (1783-1859) The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. • a collection of stories and essays that mix satire and whimsicality with fact and iction.
- 15. The titular character, Rip, is a lethargic but good-natured man who is perpetually “henpecked” by his wife. While his domestic affairs are always in disarray, he is ever the helpful neighbour and beloved by all the townspeople. One day, on his usual route to go squirrel hunting on the mountains, Rip encounters a stranger who leads him to a mysterious ravine occupied by unusual beings in Dutch costume. Against his better judgment, Rip drinks with the group and falls asleep. Later, when he finally wakes up, he returns to his village and eventually realizes that twenty years have passed, the Revolution has been and gone, and that, “instead of being a subject of his Majesty George the Third, he was now a free citizen of the United States.” RIP VAN WINKLE (1819 ) • Frame narrative • Idealized natural description • The Romantic journey • The supernatural element • Rip as anti-hero • Satire
Notas del editor
- The American Revolution against Britain (1775-1783) was the first modern war of liberation against a colonial power. The triumph of American independence seemed to many at the time a divine sign that America and her people were destined for greatness. Military victory fuelled nationalistic hopes for a great new literature. Yet with the exception of outstanding political writing, few works of note appeared during or soon after the Revolution. The most memorable writing in 18th-century America was done by the Founding Fathers, the men who led the Revolution and who wrote the Constitution of 1789. None of them were writers of fiction, but rather practical philosophers, and their most typical product was the political pamphlet. They admired the European “Age of Reason” or “Enlightenment” and believed that human intelligence (or “reason”) could understand both nature and man. Unlike the Puritans – who saw man as a sinful failure – the Enlightenment thinkers were sure man could improve himself. They wanted to create a happy society based on justice and freedom.
- The writings of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) show the Enlightenment spirit in America at its best and most optimistic. His style is quite modern and, even today, his works are pleasant to read. Although he strongly disagreed with the opinions of the Puritans, his works are written in their “plain style”. He disliked poetry and felt that writing should always have a practical purpose. Never selfish, Franklin tried to help other ordinary people become successful by sharing his insights and initiating a characteristically American genre — the self-help book.
- He became well-known throughout the colonies for his Poor Richard’s Almanack, begun in 1732 and published for many years. Almanacs, containing much useful information for farmers and sailors, were a popular form of practical literature. Franklin made his Almanack interesting by creating the character “Poor Richard”. Each new edition contained a simple but realistic story about Richard, his wife and family. He also included many sayings about saving money and working hard, some of which are known to most Americans today: “God helps them that help themselves”, “Lost time is never found again”, “Diligence is the mother of good luck”, “One today is worth two tomorrow”. In 1757, Franklin collected together the best of his proverbs, making them into an essay called The Way to Wealth, a little book which became a nationwide bestseller and which was translated into many languages. Franklin’s Autobiography is, to some extent, another self-help book, as it was written to advise his son. The first part of the book, begun in 1771, is an entertaining description of his life up to early manhood. The second part was written in 1784 when Franklin was a tired old man and the style is more serious. Franklin now realizes the part he has played in American history and writes about himself “for the improvement of others”.
- Another Enlightenment figure is Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur (1735-1813), whose Letters from an American Farmer (1782) gave Europeans an idea of opportunities for peace, wealth, and pride in America. Neither an American nor a farmer, but a French aristocrat who owned a plantation outside New York City before the Revolution, Crèvecoeur enthusiastically praised the colonies for their industry, tolerance, and growing prosperity in 12 letters that depict America as an agrarian paradise — a vision that would inspire Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and many other writers up to the present. He was the first to exploit the “melting pot” image of America in a famous passage:
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was an influential political writer during and after the war. Thanks to Jefferson’s beautiful style, the most important document in the political history of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, is also a fine work of literature. Although it was written during a difficult time of war, the Declaration is surprisingly free from emotional appeals. It is a clear and logical statement of why America wanted its independence.
- In the early years of the new republic, there was disagreement about how American literature should grow. There were three different points of view. One group was worried that American literature still lacked national feeling. They wanted books which expressed the special character of the nation, not books which were based on European culture. Another group felt that American literature was too young to declare its independence from the British literary tradition. They believed the United States should see itself as a new branch of English culture. The third group also felt the call for a national literature was a mistake. To them, good literature was universal, always rising above the time and place where it was written. The argument continued for almost a hundred years without any clear decision. As American literature grew and flowered, the greatest writers found a way to combine the best qualities of the literature of the Old and New Worlds. They also gave their works the universality of great literature.
- In the early part of the 19th century, New York City was the centre of American writing. Its writers were called “Knickerbockers” and the period from 1810 to 1840 is known as the “Knickerbocker era” of American literature. The name comes from A History of New York, by Diedrich Knickerbocker (1809), by Washington Irving (1783-1859). Irving’s book created a lot of interest in the local history of New York, but it was a humorous rather than a serious history of the city. Irving actually invented many of the events and legends he writes about in the book. The idea was to give the region of New York a special “local colour”. But more importantly, the book is a masterpiece of comedy which laughs at the Puritans and at NY’s early Dutch governors. Washington Irving’s next important book, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1819-1820), contains his two best remembered stories, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, which have been called the first American short stories. They are both Americanized versions of German folktales, but Irving fills them with the “local colour” of New York’s Hudson River Valley. Four other sketches are also set in America, but the rest of the 32 stories are on European subjects. Like many important American writers after him, Irving found that the rich, older culture of the Old World gave him a lot of material for his stories.