History of American Literature
Lecture 1
03.10.2009
Exam covers everything; everything what’s on the reading list.
Reading sources:
- Norton Anthology of American Literature
- The Handbook of American Literature – Z. Lewicki
Exam structure:
1. 10 questions – history of American Literature (historical part of the exam; based on general discussions and of the handbook; who wrote this; intertextuality; terms)
2. Text recognition - quotations – recognise the author and the title; interpretation of the quote; why is it important)
3. Short answers – 5 questions about the text from the reading list (e.g. How did Emerson influence Whitman?, etc)
What is American literature?
There is not one definite answer, it depends on the criteria. Answers are equally valued; some are more some less politically correct.
American literature in English written in America
Factors such as:
- language
- place help us define American literature in general.
- subject matter
Origins of American literature
3rd assumption - Puritans
For many years the assumption was that American literature begins with Puritans.
American literary texts in English – poems, diaries, journals, sermons composed by Puritans.
The settlers in Virginia – 15 years before Puritans. The settlers who lived in Virginia didn’t produce any important works, with the exception of books by John Smith. He had the office equivalent to government, historical books about Virginia. Why did he failed? - He conveyed to us a story about Pocahontas. He was the only person in Virginia who wrote sth important but it was written rather from historical point of view.
Populations – the settlers in Virginia were poor uneducated people devoted to work exclusively. They didn’t care about reading or writing, were just illiterate. Those richer ones, who payed cared only about profit.
2nd assumption – Spanish and Portuguese explorers
Most anthologies begin with Puritans. Anthologies published later contain English account of works during the period of exploration written by Spanish and Portuguese explorers.
Spanish and Portuguese – their foreground – exotic aspects of territories of Native inhabitants, captivated the European audience; want to contrive responder the voyages. They didn’t have namely to pay for expeditions, were sponsored by kings, queens and princesses. These expeditions were undertaken, were taking place during debated about the Earth – what did it look alike.
The account of exploration of Spanish and Portuguese as American literature, we think about subject matter; language nowadays is becoming more problematic.
1st assumption - Indians
Further back in time – narrative authors of the native American tribes – songs and narratives.
The term “literature” is not adequate here – Indian narratives were not written , they existed in oral form.
§ There were hundreds of different tribes, 350 different languages – those traditional compositions existed in all those languages
§ Different tribes lived in different parts of America – different economies – all these differences would be reflected in the traditional compositions of individual tribes
§ System of beliefs
Oral forms vs. Literature form
The oral quality of native American compositions were of fundamental importance
- Are meant to be performed – it influences the form of the composition
- If oral composition, there must be someone who performs and the audience
Publications were important for community building, strengthening bonds in the community building, establishing bonds between generations; passing over to one generation to the next.
Now is different what it used to be – highly modified
§ in English
§ written
§ translated
Translations were undertaken - 2nd half of the 19th century.
Number of compositions were forgotten.
There are several types we can distinguish:
§ Origin and the emergence of stories (expresses religious beliefs)
§ Culture hero stories
§ Historical narratives (historical accounts of specific tribes; 1 of the important subjects – confrontation with the whites – presented from the opposite perspective)
§ Trickster tales (archetypal figure; this allows showing weaknesses of social structure)
Why there is a difference between the colony in Virginia and New England?
§ The approach to literacy
§ Religious terms
Puritans cared about reading and writing for religious reasons.
§ 1st influx of Puritans – 1620 – 1st Puritans – arrived on Mayflower ship, established Plymouth colony. Left England for Holland, then left Holland for America to seek religious freedom.
§ 2nd influx of Puritans – 1630 – arrived on Arabella ship, were stronger group of Puritans, established Massachusetts Bay Colony
Puritans’ set of beliefs:
§ Their beliefs – Puritan version of Calvinism (John Calvin).
§ According to Puritans religion is sth special; the importance of reading
§ Predestination – God at the time of creation decided who became damned and who saved – salvation and condemnation; depends on God’s original decision; Puritans wanted to be convinced that they were saints. There is division between saints and unregenerates. Wanted to believe a God chosen them. God would send them saints, confirm that they were among chosen ones. Another assumption - Christ did it only for those who would be saved. Human being is incapable of paying salvation on his/her own. Human is evil, corrupted, divine is blessing – total depravity – a doctrine – a nature of man according to Puritans.
§ Puritans needed guidance to read, the source was the Bible. Recording the events helped the Puritans to remember the events from their life and interpret them
§ No entertainment whatsoever, entertainment is bad for them, it is a sin
General characteristic of Puritan writing:
§ Religious writing, personal records infused with religious reference
§ Didactic literature – to didact, teach, offer guidance
§ Poems – religious subjects predominate
§ Personal accounts (captivity diaries)
§ No fictional stories!
§ Drama – at the beginning of the 19th century – as the legacy of Puritans
The authors of such stories put themselves in the position of God.
Major genres of Puritans:
§ Chronicles (historical accounts; settlement, communities)
§ Diaries
§ Journals
§ Sermons
§ Captivity narratives (produced by people kidnapped by the Indians and who survived; very popular; equivalent to sensational tales).
Literacy was significant - quite soon after arriving in America Puritans fined the first printing house in the late 1630s.
The 1st American University, Harvard was found in 1636. Puritans wanted to educate ministers.
William Bradford – one of the leaders of the 1st group of Puritans; one of the governors; after his 1st elections remained In Office for over 30 years – it is covered in his chronicle.
§ Of Plymouth Plantation
- myth of America as promised land – it articulates mythographic ideas
- Import ant historical source – tells not only about settlements and conditions of living; they decided to go to America despite adversities.
- Religious interpretation which Bradford offers – Puritans were chosen by God- the insight into Puritan way of thinking
- Confrontation of wilderness; Puritans go down on knees and pray
Cotton Mather – an American Puritan minister (= church leader) in Boston. He wrote more than 400 works on religion, history, science and other subjects. His writings led to an increased fear of witches and helped to cause the Salem witch trials, although Mather himself was opposed to them. He also helped to establish Yale University and was the first person born in America to be elected to the Royal Society of London; a brilliant Man, He had 3 wives, All of them died; He had 15 children – most died before him.
§ Magnolia
§ Christi Americana (community – congregation – no hierarchy; constituted thread to religious hierarchy; historical sketches about different congregation; testimony – how Puritans managed to achieve during a short period of time; Christ performer great works in America)
§ Wanders of the Invisible World (strictness – the Salem, witchcraft should be punished at utmost severity;
spectral evidence – provided by those witnesses that they have been visited by ghosts of witches)
John Winthrop (one of the leaders of Puritans – 1630; a minister, a businessman)
§ Journal
§ A Model of Christian Charity – one of the most famous Puritan sermons; delivered Turing the voyage from England to America; it is about how the Puritans live in America, what their mission was, the situation of their congregation; much more Universal meaning of this situation is found.
“a city upon a hill” a motif of John Winthrop – it means to build a perfect community; to spread religion, to spread civilisation; a civilising mission)
Samuel Sewall British-American colonial merchant and a judge in the Salem witchcraft trials, best remembered for his Diary which provides a rewarding insight into the mind and life of the late New England Puritan.
§ Diary (wrote at 17th and 18th century – a transitional time between Puritan era and Enlightenment – a time of increasing secularisation, less with religion duties; it is all visible in Diary)
Mary Rowlandson (an English artist. He is famous for his caricatures showing the society and politics of the time, e.g. the series The English Dance of Death (1814–16). He also painted portraits and drew illustrations for books by Tobias Smollett and Laurence Sterne.
§ Narrative of the Captivity Restoration – the most famous of narrative captivity; the insight how the Puritans perceived Indians
§ Wild Man – is shown differently; notices that Indians have feeling, are more human and possess human feelings; an Indian is determined by harsh conditions of living. His ordeal is interpreted in religious terms. At the moment of crisis prays to God. Gift – the Bible from Indians; ambivalent depiction of Indians.
Michael Wigglesworth ...
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