COLONIALISM AND PURITANISM1620-1740

American Literature – E302

The information in this PowerPoint corresponds with pages 10-14 in your

textbook.

E302 American Lit Core Novels

1692

1952

1968

The Crucible

1855

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1926

The Great Gatsby

The Things They Carried

*Dates based on setting/date of publication

1990

Literary Movements: 1620-1860

Romanticism

Feeling & intuition over reason

1692

18601776

Salem Witch Trials

Puritanism (Colonialism)

An independent spirit

1620

Revolutionary Age

The birth of America

1800

1750

The Literary Movement Pre-America – founded on European traditions brought

to the New England colonies Forms of writing:

histories diaries Chronicles poetry sermons: 1. explanation of biblical quotation 2. interpretation 3. application to the life of the colony  

Literary Characteristics (continued)

Role of sermons: new argument in the ongoing theological debates a part of the political process scaring the congregation back into religious life

Chronicles - describe the earthly in terms of the eternal

Literal truth substituted with potential symbolic lesson

No novels – they divert people’s attention from work Writing should have a practical purpose Belief in America being the “promised land” and

Americans being the “chosen people” Frequent religious references Often plain style so that common people can

understand

Puritans – Who were they?

Puritan is a broad term referring to a number of Protestant groups who thought the Church of England was corrupt and sought to purify the faith.

Religion is virtually inseparable from government Puritans wished to return to the simpler forms of

worship and church organization that are described in the Christian Scriptures.

Religion for the Puritans was a personal, inner experience.

Puritans did not believe the gov. should or could act as an intermediary between the individual and God.

Puritan beliefs

Came to America (new colonies) to escape persecution and build a new society patterned after God’s word.

Center of Puritan theology is a mix of uncertainty and doubt.

Certainties: Because of Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience, most of humanity would be damned for all eternity; God in his mercy sent Jesus to save particular people

Doubts: whether a certain individual was saved (the elect) or damned (unregenerate)

People strived to be one of the saved by valuing self-reliance, industriousness, temperance, and simplicity.

Puritan Politics

In the Puritan view a covenant, or contract, existed between God and humanity

Puritans also believed people should enter freely into agreements concerning government (foundations of democracy).

Puritans believed the saintly elect should have great influence on gov., so political views tended to be undemocratic (yes, a clear contradiction with the above).

The Bible in America

Puritans saw the Bible as the literal word of God.

Bible was the foundation of education. Puritans viewed their lives as a journey

to salvation and looked for connections between their lives and biblical events.

Their writing favored plain language and clarity of expression and lacked figures of speech

Puritan influence on schooling

Puritan influence on American Values Urge to succeed and exceed Belief that hard work necessary for

happiness Cult of money -> money indicator

(source of power) Conviction (belief) that Americans are the chosen people

Salem Witch Trials

The Crucible is based on a true story and is written as a play.

See pages 10 and 11 of your textbook for an overview.

Background video:http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/story/

We will explore more background tomorrow… Webquest on background regarding

Puritanism. Author Arthur Miller wrote the play The

Crucible in the 1950s as a response to McCarthyism.