Colonial Literature
1620 Pilgrims land at Plymouth
European Renaissance
(1300-1600)
Jamestown 1607
Major influences of the
Renaissance





Expansion of trade and growth of the middle
class
Agrarian revolution, decay of unions,
development of the capitalist system
Creation of modern nation-states
Birth and development of the individual
Geographic discoveries
Characterized by:
The rebirth of learning
 Development of the concept of
the free individual
 Throwing off of traditional
restraints of medieval learning
and authority

Motives for English
coming to the New World




The assertion of British national pride and
honor against the Spanish, French, and
Dutch
Economic Considerations
– Colonialism was a way to relieve England
of some social problems
Propaganda about the New World as a
glorious place
– Free land, free from social ills
Desire to start an ideal Christian society
– “Zion on the Hill”
Colonial
America
1607-1763
Before a distinctive American
Literature could be written,
three conditions had to be met:



Colonist had to be free from their
survival needs to have time to think
and write
They had to develop a sense of
themselves as Americans
They had to develop a way to publish
and distribute American writing to
American readers
Early American
Literature was
UTILITARIAN
– Stressing practical usefulness rather
than style or beauty
Earlier colonial writing
took the form of :
Narratives
 Descriptions
 Observations
 Reports
John Smith
 Journals and histories

Later colonial writing the
emphasis shifts to:
Sermons
 Poetry

Puritan minister breaks up farm house frolic
The Puritans





Basic tenets of 17th century
Puritanism
God’ absolute authority and
sovereignty
– The scriptures as the basis of truth
and the guide to life
Predestination
– The belief that through God’s decree
certain people are destined to be
saved
The universal sinfulness of man
The election and salvation of some by
God’s grace
Characteristics of Puritan
Literature
Strenuous and serious
 Attempts to represent life truly
 Every event represents a double
reality
– The event as a natural
occurrence
– The event as a significant
message from God

Puritan Influences on American
Thought and Culture
Emphasis on hard work
 A belief in democracy
 The drive toward affluence
 Emphasis on the value of
education and science
 A preoccupation with guilt
 The notion of progress

Early Writing in New
England

More that the southern colonies,
the circumstances in early New
England favored literary
development. The Puritans had a
determined and disciplined way
of life.
Characteristics of the Puritan
group who settled Plymouth
Plantation and the
Massachusetts Bay Colony area:
More compact settlements
 High degree of industry
 Disciplined enterprise
 A community conscious of
experience and purpose
 Determined to make America
their home

Firsts in America

Facilities for literature were first
provided in Massachusetts
– First college, Harvard, 1636
– First printing press, Cambridge,
1638’
– First commercial press, Boston,
1674
– First successful newspaper, The
Boston News--Letter, 1704
Harvard College
The Planters and the
Puritans

Two contrasting value systems
John Winthrop
William Byrd
Planters






Region: Virginia
Founded: Jamestown,1607
Literary Figures: John Smith, William
Byrd
Early Government: control by landed
aristocracy
Motive: money and social position
Culture shaped by tobacco and by the
plantation way of life
Puritans






Region: Massachusetts
Founded: Plymouth, 1620
Literary Figures: William Bradford,
Cotton Mather, Anne Bradstreet, Edward
Taylor, Jonathan Edwards
Early Government: Theocracy
Motive: religious freedom
Culture shaped by religion
Cultural Characteristics:

Planters
– a desire to continue the English traditions
of landed aristocracy
– Based on slavery
– Economic inequality
– Conspicuous consumption
– Scattered population with few towns
– Assumption that life was to be enjoyed
(dancing, horseback riding, gambling,
drinking,music)
– Division into upper and lower classes
Cultural Characteristics:

Puritans
– A cluster of small towns
– Much interchange of ideas
– Rough economic equality
– Emphasis on education and hard
work
– Economy based on small trades and
crafts, sea industry, and farming
– Development of the town-meeting
system
– Development of a majority of middle
class
Whipping a Quaker in
Boston