The Colonial Period in American Literature

Department of Literature I

The Colonial period in American Literature PRESENTED BY MIRNA MALIJI MALIJI

Points of Discussion Topics to be Covered Colonial Period Introduction American Literary History History Summary Characteristics of Colonial American Literature Narrative Focus Religion and Poetry Enlightenment The Great Awakening References

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American Literary History

COLONIAL PERIOD 1607-1765 The Colonial period was dominated by Puritan beliefs and thus literature of this period is usually historical, religious, or didactic. The first slave narratives were written at this time. Imaginative literature was rare; in some colonies, it was banned for being immoral.

The literature of this period comes to us in the forms of tracts, polemics, journals, narratives,sermons, and some poetry.

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History Summary Colonial America The Colonial Period covers a time period beginning with the foundation of the colonies, the first being Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, and ends with the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Thirteen British colonies were established and could be divided into three geographic areas: New England, Middle, and Southern. Each colony had specific economic, social, and political developments that were unique to the regions. However, all colonies were governed by the British and there was little diviation from European literary styles until the early Americans began to become their owe people.

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Characteristics of Colonial American Literature 1607-1765 Colonial American literature emerged from the original U.S. colonies during the period from 1607 to the late 1700s and was largely influenced by British writers. Many of the characteristics of colonial American literature can be found in the poems, journals, letters, narratives, histories and teaching materials written by settlers and religious and historic figures of the period. Colonial American literature includes the writings of Mary Rowlandson, William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet and John Winthrop.

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Narrative Focus Colonial American literature is characterized by the narrative, which was used extensively during this period.

Most of the literary works of this genre are composed of letters, journals, biographies and memoirs. An example is Mary Rowlandson’s narrative account “The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson." This narrative gives an insider’s story of a colonist being captured by Native Americans and describes the heavy hostility between the Native Americans and colonists. Rowland’s story is categorized as an autobiography and captivity narrative.

Religion and Poetry

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Religion is prominent in colonial American literature and can be found mostly in Puritan writings. The Puritans wrote about the religious foundations of many of their settlements, especially the exodus from Britain, and employed the constant theme that God should be worshiped. They also used texts that prepared them for worship. This literature helped spread the message of God, suggesting that “life was a test” and the soul would face damnation if that test was failed. Ambition and hard work were continuously stressed. Many of the Puritan works were written in poetry form. Anne Bradstreet’s poetry, the “Bay Psalm Book,” and Pastor Edward Taylor’s “Preparatory Mediations” are good examples of religious texts of the era. It was this type of writing that led to the Puritanism and Great Awakening movements. Non-Puritan writers also used religion to show the religious tension between the colonial settlers and Native Americans..

Enlightenment In the 18th century, the Enlightenment showed a great shift in colonial American literature from a religious foundation to scientific reasoning applied to human nature, society, culture and political awareness. Many texts were written in pamphlet or narrative form and challenged the role of God and religious life, seeking to replace them with reason.

Rational thought and science were the new themes. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” and the pamphlet “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine explored many of these new ideas. Similar texts also led the way to more awareness of social, economic and scientific issues. The American Revolution played a large part in this shifting of ideas.

The Great Awakening The great awakening comes along toward the middle to the end of the enlightenment and it is kind of correction that happens. The great awakening saw the original puritan spirit 17th centuries as a kind of lag people who are getting loose and sort of less rigorous in their followings and their adherence to church beliefs. So, there is a return to religious orthodoxy. This is kind of re-emphasis on the basic fundamentalist principles of religion. And that can be observed in the decades before the Revolution between the seventeen, 30s ,40s and 50s.

George Whitefield, born on Dec. 16, 1714, was a Church of England minister who led the Great Awakening, a series of Christian revivals that swept through Britain and America in the mid-1700s. Whitefield's sermons were widely reputed to inspire his audience's enthusiasm. Many of them as well as his letters and journals were published during his lifetime. He was an excellent orator as well, strong in voice and adept at extemporaneity.[83] His voice was so expressive that people are said to have wept just hearing him allude to "Mesopotamia". His journals, originally intended only for private circulation, were first published by Thomas Cooper.[84][85] James Hutton then published a version with Whitefield's approval. His exuberant and "too apostolical" language were criticised; his journals were no longer published after 1741

Jonathan Edwards

And the second figure is Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was an extremely important and influential clergyman in the New England colonial America. He has been given credit for beginning the Great Awakening and his writings provide insights into colonial thought. Edwards believed in a personal religious experience. From 1734-1735, Edwards preached a number of sermons about justification of faith.

Probably Edwards most well-known sermon is called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. He not only delivered this at his home parish but also in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741. This fiery sermon discusses the pains of hell and the importance of devoting one's life to Christ to avoid this fiery pit.

References American Literary History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.abss.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01001905/Centricity/Domain/2792/American%20Literary%20History%20Timeline.pdf Frank, K. (2015, September 21). YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYpvexM2S6A Kelly, M. (2019, July 03). Though Co. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/jonathan-edwards-4003804 Knight, V. (2017, July 20). Pen & Pad. Retrieved from https://penandthepad.com/characteristics-colonial-american-literature-7866574.html Wikipedia. (2020, November 11). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Whitefield

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