搜索
TheAgeofEnlightenmentFeaturesoftheAmericanEnlightenmentTheWarforIndependenceCharacteristicsoftheliteratureTHEAMERICANENLIGHTENMENTThe18th-centuryAmericanEnlightenmentwasamovementmarkedbyanemphasisonrationalityratherthantradition,scientificinquiryinsteadofunquestioningreligiousdogma,andrepresentativegovernmentinplaceofmonarchy.Enlightenmentthinkersandwritersweredevotedtotheidealsofjustice,liberty,andequalityasthenaturalrightsofman.Deism(自然神论):thebelief,basedsolelyonreason,inaGodwhocreatedtheuniverseandthenabandonedit,assumingnocontroloverlife,exertingnoinfluenceonnaturalphenomena,andgivingnosupernaturalrevelation.FeaturesoftheAmericanEnlightenmentanunshakablebeliefinthepowerofreason,“enlightenment”or“education”concernsforcivilrights,amorecomprehensivedemocracyingovernment,andgeneraltolerationopposedtotheoldcolonialorderandreligiousobscurantismdisseminatingknowledgeamongthepeopleandadvocatingrevolutionaryideas.participatedintheWarforIndependence.seculareducationandliterature.ThesecularidealsoftheAmericanEnlightenmentwereexemplifiedinthelifeandcareerofBenjaminFranklin.TheWarforIndependence(1775-1783)Thehard-foughtAmericanRevolutionagainstBritainwasthefirstmodernwarofliberationagainstacolonialpower.Militaryvictoryfannednationalistichopesforagreatnewliterature.Withthecountry’sindependence,thebeginningsofliteraryindependencewereevidentinsomewritings.YetAmericanliteraturethroughoutthecenturywaslargelypatternedonthewritingoftheeighteenth-centuryEnglishmen.Exceptfortheoutstandingpoliticalwriting,fewworksofnoteappearedduringorsoonaftertheRevolution.CharacteristicsoftheliteratureAmericanswerepainfullyawareoftheirexcessivedependenceonEnglishliterarymodels.Thesearchforanativeliteraturebecameanationalobsession.FiftyyearsaftertheirfameinEngland,EnglishneoclassicwriterssuchasJonathanSwift,AlexanderPope,OliverGoldsmith,andSamuelJohnsonwerestilleagerlyimitatedinAmerica.Itwouldtake50yearsofaccumulatedhistoryforAmericatoearnitsculturalindependenceandtoproducethefirstgreatgenerationofAmericanwriters.