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PartI.TheLiteratureofColonialAmerica
HistoricalIntroductionPuritanPuritanism
EarlyAmericanwritersandPoets
I.HistoricalIntroduction
ThenativeAmericanandtheirculture–-Indians
ChristopherColumbusdiscoveredtheAmericancontinentin1492CaptainChristopherNewportreachedVirginiain1607.PuritanscametotheNewEnglandareaby―Mayflower‖in1620.ThePuritanmigrationbegan.
Puritans
OnedivisionofEnglishProtestant.TheyregardedthereformationofthechurchunderElizabethasincomplete,andcalledforfurtherpurification.Tothem,religionisamatterofprimaryimportance.(p.12
The17th-centuryAmericanPuritansincludedtwoparts:SeparatistsandMassachusettsBayGroup.
ReligiousDoctrinesofPuritans
Predestination,originalsin,totaldepravity,andlimitedatonementthroughaspecialinfusionof
gracefromGod.
TheyregardedthemselvesaschosenpeopleofGod.Theyembracedhardships,industryandfrugality.Theyfavoredadisciplined,hard,somber,asceticandharshlife.Theyopposedartsandpleasure.Theysuspectjoyandlaughterassymptomsofsin.
Puritanism
AdominantfactorinAmericanlife,oneofthemostenduringshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.(p.11
ithasbeen,byandlarge,ahealthylegacytotheAmericansthoughitwasonceunderviolentattacksforitsreligiousintoleranceandbigotry,foritsausterityoftasteandkilljoywayoflife.Puritanism’sinfluenceonAmericanliterature(p.14Purposeofwriting:pragmatic
Contents:practicalmatter-of-factaccountsoflifeinthenewworld;highlytheoreticaldiscussionsofreligiousquestions.
Style:tightandlogicstructure,preciseandcompactexpression,avoidanceofrhetoricaldecoration,adoptionofhomelyimagery,simplicityofdiction.
II.LiterarySceneinColonialAmerica
1.majorforms:
diaries,histories,journals,letters,commonplacebooks(apersonaljournalinwhichquotablepassages,literaryexcerptsandpersonalcommentsarewritten,travelbooks,sermons2.EarlyAmericanWritersandPoets


（1）South,Jamestown,Virginia:
CaptainJohnSmith--firstAmericanwriter;ADescriptionofNewEngland.
Contributions:hisdescriptionofAmericawasfilledwithmyths,images,scenes,charactersandeventsthatwereafoundationforthenation’sliterature.HeluredthePilgrimsintofleeingtothenewcontinentandcreatingaNewland.（2）North,NewEngland,PuritanWriters(p.16
WilliamBradford:firstgovernorofPlymouth,TheHistoryofPlymouthPlantation,simplicity,earnestness,directreporting,readable,moving.
JohnWinthrop:firstgovernorofBoston,TheHistoryofNewEngland,AModelofChristianCharity(speechcandidsimplicity,honesty（3）ColonialPoets:
AnneBradstreet:thefirstwomanpoetofthecountry.
TheTenthMuselatelySprungUpinAmerica,1650,thefirstpoemcollectionbyanAmericancolonistgotpublishedandbecameoneofthemostwidelyreadatthattime.Bradstreet’swritingconcernThecolonialexperience,Appreciationofprivatelife,
MeditationoverthepuritandoctrinesFourElements(earth,air,fireandwaterFourseasons
Appreciationofthepoem―Tomydearandlovinghusband‖
Thepoemwaswrittenbetween1641and1643,butwasnotpublisheduntil1678,whenthesecondeditionofTheTenthMuseLatelySprungupinAmericaappearedintheNewContinent.AnnaBradstreetwroteontheeverlastingthemeoflovetoeulogizethetruelovebetweenherhusbandandher.Shestronglypraisedthesincerityoftheirloveandfeltgratefulforalltheloveshehadenjoyedformherhusband.Whentheywerealive,thatlovewassoabundantandburninghotthatriverscannotquench;whentheydie,theirdeathwouldjustprovetheloveconstant.Thetruelovehasovergrownthepoweroftimeandspace.
Theshortpoemiswritteniniambicpentameter,rhymed―aa,bb,cc,dd,ee,ff.‖.Inotherword,thispoemiswrittenincouplet.致我亲爱的丈夫
假如红尘连理能融为一体,你我必添欢快,假如世间男子能得妻所爱,你可自去开怀,假如有哪位女子醉心于丈夫的给予,请你来和我比较,如果你有足够的幸福我赞美你的爱胜过普天之下的金矿,我珍惜你的爱强于东方世界的珍藏.
我的爱热烈似火,万千河水熄不灭他的烈焰,惟有你的爱能补偿这无悔的灿烂;你的爱纯挚痴狂,我无以为报,苍天将赐予你更多，我虔诚祈祷,徜徉于人世,我们寻求永恒,当生命枯竭,我们因爱永生。


EdwardTaylor
Ameditativepoet,TaylorcamenearesttotheEnglishbaroquepoet.Forallhisun-puritanimagery,however,hewas,firstandlast,apuritanpoet,concernedabouthowhisimagesspeakforGod.
WhatmakesEdwardTaylor'spoetryandmediationsuniqueisthathisrelationshipwithGodisdeeplyrootedinthephysicalworld.InincorporatingGodevenintohisowncorporalbody,Taylormarriestogetherboththehumanandthedivine,celebratingthebestofbothworlds.Appreciationof―huswifery‖
Taylorgetsstraighttothehumanpointeveninthetitle,tellingusthatweareabouttoreadabouthouseworkanddomesticity.ByaskingGodtousehimasawomanwoulduseamundane,everydayobject(inthiscase,aspinningwheel.
Taylorgivesanaccountofeachworkingpartofaspinningwheel,eachlineaddinganewlayertohismetaphorinordertomakehima"SpinningWheelcomplete".
Tostart,thedistaffiswhatholdstherawwoolorflaxintoplacewhenspinning;TaylorasksGodtomakeHis"HolyWord"hisowndistaffsothathecanbeguidedintotheproperplacespresumablytoleadavirtuouslife(2.Theflyersarewhatregulatetheactionofthespinning,andTaylorwantsGod's"SwiftFlyers"toregulateand/ortemperhisown"Affections"andactions(3.Onaspinningwheel,thespooltwiststheyarnintoacordofconsistentthickness(orweight";inaskingGodtomakehissoula"holyspool,"TaylorisperhapsaskingthathissoulbeamediumthroughwhichGod'sdoctrineisinterpretedinaconsistentmanner(4.Inthenexttwolines,TaylorwantshisownconversationtobeGod'sreel,toholdtogetherthemetaphoricalthreadofGod'sWord,andthroughhimandhisconversation,GodcangathertogetherwhathehasspunonhisTaylor-turned-spinning-wheel.
Injustsixlines,TaylorhaseffectivelyequatedeachwayaspinningwheelworkswithawayinwhichhecantakesGod'sWordanddoctrines,interpretthem,andgivethembacktohiscongregationinafashionthatisbothpleasingtoGodandunderstandablebyhisparishioners.ThomasPaine(1737-1809
托马斯·潘恩propagandist
amajorinfluenceintheAmericanRevolutionMainworks:(aseriesofpamphletsCommonSense
TheAmericanCrisis(16pamphletsTherightsofmanTheAgeofReason
style:plainandpersuasive
PhilipFreneau(1752-1832
Evaluation
AmericanpoetsbeforeFreneauwrotemostlyonthereligiousthemeandeitherinstyleorstructurallytheyimitatedEnglishpoets.
Freneau,thefirstAmerican-bornpoet,wasoneoftheearliestwhocasttheireyesoverthenaturalsurroundingsoftheNewContinentandAmericansubjectmatter.
principalpoetoftheperiod;atransitionalrolebetweenneoclassicismandromanticism.MajorWorks


TheRisingGloryofAmerica(1772TheBritishPrisonShip(1781TheWildHoneySuckle(1786TheIndianBuryingGround(1788
th
someofhisthemesandimagesanticipatedtheworksofsome19-centurywriters.TheWildHoneySuckle（1786）
ThisisoneofthemostquotedworksofFreneau.Itwaswrittenin178inregular4tetrameterstanzas,with6linesforeachstanzaandarhymeschemeof―ababcc.‖Appreciationofthepoem
Inthispoem,honeysuckle,insteadofroseordaffodilbecomethesubjectofdepiction;itis―wild‖justtoconveythefreshperceptionofthenaturalscenesonthenewcontinent.Theflowers,similartotheearlyPuritansettlers,usedtobelievetheyweretheselectsofGodtobearrangedontheabundantland,butnowhavetowakeupfromthatfantasyandbemorerespectfultonaturallaw.Timeisconstantbutthetimeofalifeisshort,anyfavorisrelativebutchangeisabsolute;withorwithouttheawareness,naturedevelops;flowerswereborn,bloomedanddeclinedtorepose,andhumanbeingwouldexistinexactlythesameway.Aphilosophicalmeditationisindictedbythedescriptionofthefateofatrivialwildplant.
Theme:adeistic(无神论的）celebrationofnature;romanticuseofsimplenatureimagery;inspiredbythemesofdeathandtransience.
Features：muchofthebeautyofthepoemliesinthesoundsofthewordsandtheeffectscreatedthroughchangesinrhythm.
offeravisionofanabundantAmerica;anindicationofhisdedicationtoAmericansubjectmatter倘若，这世上从来未有我
那么，又有什么遗憾什么悲伤生命是跌撞的曲折死亡是宁静的星归于尘土归于雨露
这世上不再有我却又无处不是我
——田维TheIndianBuryingGroun
ItshowsFreneau’sinterestinandadmirationforthenativeIndiancivilization.•AnotherpotentialsubjectforAmericanwriters.CharlesBrockdenBrown,1771-1810
th
Themostprominentnovelistofthe18century.Hebelievedthathisnovelswereallabouthiscountryandhispeopleandthatheemployednewnarrativetechniqueshithertounheededbyhispredecessors.Rememberedforhisgothicnovelsandhisdescriptionofhischaracter’sinnerworld.Majorworks
1.EdgarHuntly,17992.Ormond,1799
3.ArthurMervyn,1800
4.Wieland,(TheTransformation:AnAmericanTale,regardedasthefirstAmericanNovel,1798

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