The-Literature-of-Colonial-America

TheLiteratureofColonialAmerica1607-1765TheColonialSettlement•ThefirstknownandsustainedcontactbetweentheAmericansandtherestoftheworldbeganwiththefamousvoyageofanItalianexplorer,ChristopherColumbusin1492,fundedbytheSpanishrulersFerdinandandIsabella.Columbus’sjournalprintedin1493isthefirstsightingofAmericanland.•Afterthat,manyEuropeansettlerscametoAmericancontinent.TheearliestsettlersincludedDutch,Swedes,Germans,French,Spaniard,Italians,andPortuguese.FrenchmensettledintheNorthernColoniesandalongtheSt.LawrenceRiver,SwedesalongtheDelaware,DutchalongtheHudson,GermansandScotch-IrishinNewYorkandPennsylvania,andtheSpanishinFlorida.TherewereNegroesinNewEngland,theMiddleColonies,andthroughoutthesouth;andAmericanIndianswereeverywhere.•AllcontributedtotheformingoftheAmericancivilization,butthecoloniesthatbecamethefirstUnitedStateswereforthemostpartEnglishsustainedbyEnglishtraditions,ruledbyEnglishlaws,supportedbyEnglishcommerce,andnamedafterEnglishmonarchsandEnglishlands:Georgia,Carolina,Virginia,Maryland,NewYork,NewHampshireandNewEngland.AmericanPuritanism•AmericanPuritanismisoneofthemostenduringshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.•Theterm“puritan”wasfirstappliedtothoseProtestantreformerswhorejectedQueenElizabeth’sreligioussettlementsof1560becausetheyweredeterminedto“purify”theirreligion.•PuritanBeliefs•Twocovenants:•1.theagreementmadebetweenGodandAdam•“originalsin”(原罪）•2.theagreementmadebetweenGodandAbraham•“grace”（恩典）•ThePuritansbelievedthattheyweredescendentsofAbraham:theywerethe“electgroup”redeemedbythesufferingofJesusChristandchosentoreceiveGod’s“grace”.TheColonialAmericanLiterature•Inthecolonialperiod,muchoftheliteraturewasproducedbyPuritanwriters.•FormsoftheColonialAmericanLiterature:diaries,letters,sermons,travelbooks,etc.•FeaturesofColonialAmericanLiterature；•Symbolism------TothepiousPuritan,thephysical,phenomenalworldwasnothingbutasymbolofGod.•Simple,freshanddirectstyle,•Atouchofnobility(高贵）traceabletotheinfluenceoftheBible.•WritersinthisperiodincludeWilliamBradford(1590-1657)，JohnWinthrop(1588-1631),AnnBradstreet(1612-1672),EdwardTaylor(1642-1729).LiteratureandtheAmericanRevolution1765-1815TheAgeofReasonandEnlightenment•Inaperiodof50years,theAmericannationhoodtransformedfromitscolonialstatustothatofindependenceandfederation.ItisinthisperiodthatAmericannationhood,withtheUnitedStatesasitsname,begantoemerge.•TheideasofEnlightenmentintellectuallyshapedthetransitionoftheAmericannationhoodtothestatusofindependenceandfederation.The18thcenturyinAmericaisknownastheAgeofReasonandEnlightenment.•Enlightenmentdevelopedinthe17thcenturyinEngland.ItgraduallyextendedtoFranceandEurope,andinthe18thcentury,reachedtheColoniesinAmerica.LiketheirEuropeancounterparts,educatedcolonistsinAmericawereinfluencedbythescientificrationalismofSirIsaacNewtonandthephilosophiesofJohnLock,etc.•TheEnlightenmentideasnurturedAmericanpeople’sinterestinworldlyaffairs:Americansbelievedthatmorereasonablepoliticalandsocialordersshouldbeestablished,andthenlearnedtotakeactionstoresistoppressivepowerandtocriticizeandreformgovernment.SirIssacNewton(1642-1727)•“PhilosophiaeNaturalisPrincipiaMathematica”•thelawsofmotion,theideasofuniversalgravitationDeism(自然神教）：Godisindeedthecreatoroftheuniverse,“themakeroftheclock”,buthehasleftittooperateaccordingtonaturallaw.Tothedeists,thebestwaytoworshipGodistostudyhiscreationsaccordingtothenaturallaw,andtodogoodthingstomankind.•JohnLock(1632-1704)•Locke’sinfluenceonAmericanthinkerswassogreatthatoneAmericanscholarhasnamedhim“America’sfirstphilosopher”despitehisEnglishorigins.•HearguesthatallmenarecreatedequalinthestateofnaturebyGod,andthattheonlylegitimate(合法的)governmentsarethosethathavetheconsent(同意）ofthepeople.Therefore,anygovernmentthatruleswithouttheconsentofthepeoplecan,intheory,beoverthrown.TheAmericanRevolutionVoiceofTheEnlightenmentandVisionsofTheRevolution•LiteratureintheperiodofAmericanRevolutionwaspredominatelypublicutilitarian(实用主义的）.Formsofwritingincludeessays,pamphlets,andpoliticaldocumentsforpurposesofsocialreform,revolutionaryspeech,andphilosophicaldeclaration.•MajorWriters:•BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)•ThomasPaine(1737-1809)•ThomasJefferson(1743-1826)BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)PoorRichard’sAlmanac•Almanacs(历书，年鉴）,containingmuchusefulinformationforfarmersandsailors(aboutthenextyear’sweather,seatides,etc.)wereapopularformofpracticalliterature.TogetherwiththeBibleandthenewspaper,theyweretheonlyreadingmatterinmostColonialhouseholds.FranklinmadehisAlmanacinterestingbycreatingthecharacter“PoorRichard”.EachneweditioncontinuedasimplebutrealisticstoryaboutRichard,hiswifeandfamily.Healsoincludedmany“sayings”aboutsavingmoneyandworkinghard.SomeoftheseareknowntomostAmericanstoday:“Godhelpsthemwhohelpthemselves”,“Threemaykeepasecretiftwoofthemaredead”.TheWaytoWealth•In1757,Franklincollectedtogetherthebestofhissayings,makingthemintoanessaycalledTheWaytoWealth.ThislittlebookbecameoneofthebestsellersoftheWesternworldandwastranslatedintomanylanguages.InTheWaytoWealth,therearealsomanyfamoussayings.•“Earl