1. American Literature

2. A Brief Introduction to American Literature
The Main Stages of A Literature
The Significant Differences Between
British Literature and American Literature

3. The Main Stages of American Literature
※Early American and Colonial Period to 1790
※Age of Enlightenment,
※American Romanticism,
※ American Transcendentalism( )
※Poetry for a New World
※ Classic American Novelists

4. The Main Stages of American Literature
※The Age of Realism
※American Naturalism
※Boom Times and the Lost Generation and the Southern Renaissance
※Poetry between Two World Wars
※ The Red Decade
※American Drama
※Black Writers and Jewish Writers
※Postmodernism

5. A Brief Introduction to American Literature
The Main Stages of A Literature
The Significant Differences Between
British Literature and American Literature

6. The Significant Differences between British Literature and American Literature
Non-existence of folk literature
The accounts of personal experiences
Highly theoretical writing
American individualism

7. Early American and Colonial Period
to 1790

8. Puritans
Puritans was the name given in the 16th century to the more extreme Protestants within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not gone far enough in reforming the doctrines and structure of the church; they wanted to purify their national church by eliminating every shred of Catholic influence. In the 17th century many Puritans emigrated to the New World, where they sought to find a holy Commonwealth in New England.

9. American Puritanism
a code of values, a philosophy of life, a point of view
the absolute sovereignty of God,
the total depravity of man(original sin)
the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace for
salvation
the union of church and state
the dominant cultural force into the 19th century.

10. Puritanism Background
Early in the 17th century some Puritan groups separated
from the Church of England. Among these were the Pilgrims,
who in 1620 founded Plymouth Colony. Ten years later, the
first major Puritan migration to New England took place.

11. Plymouth Colony In late December of 1620, one hundred and two men,
women, and children began to establish the second English permanent settlement in the New World. They named their plantation New Plymouth . Within the next few decades, New Plymouth gave rise to numerous townships and communities
in the area that came to be known as New England.

12. Introduction to the Colony

13. The Plymouth Colony Flagship Mayflower arrives Leader - William Bradford Settlers known as Pilgrims and Separatists The Mayflower Compact provides for social, religious, and economic freedom, while still maintaining ties to Great Britain.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony Flagship Arbella arrives Leader - John Winthrop Settlers are mostly Puritans or Congregational Puritans The Arbella Covenant clearly establishes a religious and theocratic settlement, free of ties to Great Britain.

14. The Influences of Puritanism on American Literature
1. Optimism
A Literature is in good measure a literary expression of the
pious idealism of American Puritans. ( a sense of mission )
Two dimensions of American dream
1. For the Puritans: to “build a city on a hill”
2. For the southerners: to “find the vale(valley) of plenty”
2. Symbolism
3. Simplicity in Style

15. The Writers in Colonial Period
William Bradford ( )
Anne Bradstreet (c )
Edward Taylor (c )

16. William Bradford (1590-1657) Governor of Plymouth Colony
a deeply pious, self-educated man who
had learned several languages, including
Hebrew, in order to "see with his own
eyes the ancient oracles of God in their
native beauty.“
first historian of his colony.

17. Anne Bradstreet ( c. 1612-1672 ) long, religious poems on conventional
subjects such as the seasons
witty poems on subjects from daily life
and her warm and loving poems to her
husband and children.

18. In memory of my dear grand-child Elizabeth Bradstreet, who deceased August, being a year and half old        
  Farewel dear babe, my hearts too much content, Farewel sweet babe, the pleasure of mine eye, Farewel fair flower that for a space was lent, Then ta'en away unto Eternity. Blest babe why should I once bewail thy fate, Or sigh the dayes so soon were terminate; Sith thou art setled in an Everlasting state.

19. 2 By nature Trees do rot when they are grown
2 By nature Trees do rot when they are grown. And Plumbs and Apples throughly ripe do fall, And Corn and grass are in their season mown, And time brings down what is both strong and tall, But plants new set to be eradicate, And buds new blown, to have so short a date, Is by his hand alone that guides nature and fate.

20. To My Dear and Loving Husband
If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man, Compare with me, ye women, if you can. I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold Or all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense. Thy love is such I can no way repay, The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. Then while we live, in love let’s so persevere That when we live no more, we may live ever.

21. Questions for Further Discussion:
Why did Anne Bradstreet leave every line without
further elaboration?
What do you think of the last line?
In what way does the poem reflect the influence of
Puritanism?
What is the theme of this poem?

22. Edward Taylor (c )
a teacher who sailed to New England in 1668
rather than a man taking an oath of loyalty to the
Church of England