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.