Colonial literature

1. Colonial literature American Literature pages 98-130, selected handouts

2. Colonial Literature • Colonial literature refers to the literature written during the period when Europeans settled the colonies. • It was not literature as we think of literature…there are several reasons for this • Survival was more important than entertainment • The Puritan belief system held that “idleness” was wicked…and entertainment was idleness.

3. Colonial literature • The early colonists (mostly Puritan) wrote about what was most important to them: • Religion • Politics • History • Most of what they wrote survives in the form of diaries, histories, sermons, and journals

4. John smith • Soldier at 16, imprisoned in Turkey by age 20 • Founded the first permanent American settlement in Jamestown (1607). • Returned to England after being injured in a fire • Wrote A True Relation of Virginia after he returned to England. • This was the first “American” book in history. • His story—page 98

5. William bradford • Known as “the father of American History” • He wrote Of Plymouth Plantation, which is regarded as our first history book • Served as governor of Plymouth for 32 years. • He is the source of most of our Puritan heritage—the Thanksgiving story, the Mayflower Compact, the Puritan work ethic—these are ideas contained in his writings • His story—101-105

6. John winthrop • Governor of Mass. Bay Colony • Landed in Massachusetts 10 years after the Plymouth pilgrims arrived in America • His group was different—wealthy, upper class • Winthrop’s literary contribution was a journal that he kept for years, documenting Puritan life in the colonies • His story—99-100

7. What is puritanism? • It was the dominant mode of thought in early colonial America • They sought to “purify” what they saw as a corrupted church—when they couldn’t, they left Europe • Did not believe in “popery”—things that seemed Catholic to them • Strict religious discipline, sometimes veering into asceticism

8. What is puritanism? • Lutheran—believed in the “believer’s priesthood” • Calvinist—believed in God’s sovereignty (all the way to election) • Believed that God’s kingdom was destined to invade the earth, and that Christians were an important part of that process • Saw America as “a city on a hill” that could be claimed for God.

9. What is puritanism • Results-oriented (because prosperity and election are intertwined) • Didn’t approve of “vain and idle” pursuits—so theatre and fiction (unless religious) were sinful • All of this led to what is now referred to as “The Puritan Work Ethic” • The Puritan Work Ethic (laboring in a secular vocation as evidence of grace) led directly to capitalism…how fortunate