American Literature 1

Her husband eventually became governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony which later grew into the great city of Boston.
She preferred conventional subjects on seasons, and daily life. (themes) She was inspired by English metaphysical poetry, and those of Spenser, Phillip Sidney, and so on.
The stages in American Literature
I. The Colonial Time (1607-1765) II. Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Time (1765-1800)
III. The Romantic Period (1800—1865): A. essayists and poets B. Romantic fiction
It is a terrible poem—but everybody loved it. It fused the fascination of a horror story with the authority of John Calvin. The poem indicates the Calvinistic doctrine.
4. Edword Taylor(1644-1729) An English-born, intense, brilliant poet and minister came to England in 1688 and educated in Harvard College (1636). Modest, pious, and hard-working man, Taylor never published his poetry, which was discovered only in the 1930’s. His poems are also about the themes of religion.
The important writers: 1.William Bradford(15901657)
Educated governor of Plymouth in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he was deeply pious, self-educated man who had learned several languages, including Hebrew. He became the first historian of his colony.
a faith in individualism, from the very beginning, to adapt and live themselves amidst foreign social and environmental conditions of life.
The American, stimulated by the westmovement, became self-reliant, self-confident, and self-made, leading to the continuous development of the American Dream, began by the Puritans for greatness, for success, moving and marching from rags to riches..
And among “the elect” who would go to heaven, Puritans tended to believe that earthly success was a sign of election.
Wealth and status were sought not only for themselves, but as welcome reassurance of spiritual health and promises of eternal life, thus arouse Individualism.
American individualism
Not only adhered to Puritanism but also developed individualism inspired by a belief in God to pursue wealth and success, which are the symbols with deep spiritual meanings.
3. Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705) An English-born, Harvard-educated Puritan minister is the third New England colonial poet of note. He continued Puritan themes in his best-known work, The Day of Doom (1662)
Examples
1. William Bradford’s History of Plimmoth Plantation
Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and
American Literature
The School of Foreign Lane history of American literature from colonial times to World War I reflects the history of a search for an American way of expression and national identity. The American had been a busy, restless nation who during this process had established a great faith,
2. Anne Bradstreet (布莱滋特里特 布莱滋特里特1612布莱滋特里特 1672) The first American poet. Born and educated in England, Anne was the daughter of an Earl’s estate manager.
The aims of travel books
to attract dissatisfied inhabitants of the Old World across the ocean to the New.
The settlers
most of them are Puritans Dutch, Swedes, German, French, Spaniards, Italians and Portuguese overwhelming majority of the immigrants are English, others are from European countries who want to make a wealthy life.
The early Americans felt that in advancing their own profit and their community’s well-being, they were also fathering god’s plans. They also believed that all life was an expression of the divine will.
They were either Englishmen who wanted to reform the Church of England or people who wanted to have an entirely new church, a new homeland-Eden.
These two groups combined, especially in what became Massachusetts, came to be known as “Puritans, so named after those who wish to purify the Church of England.
The forms of literature The records, journals and diaries, travel accounts, and religious writings.
Features: neither American nor really literature; the work mainly of immigrants from England.
But here I can not stand half amazed at this poor people’s present condition; …Being thus passed the ocean…they had no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies; nor houses or much less towns to repaired to, to seek for succor (help).
IV. The Rise of Realism (1865-1918) V. Modernism and Experimentation (1918—1945)