🧁English 12 Unit 7 – Colonial & Revolutionary American Lit

Key Historical Context

• Colonial period in America spanned from early 17th century to late 18th century, marked by European colonization and settlement
• Puritans fled religious persecution in England, establishing colonies in New England (Massachusetts Bay Colony) that heavily influenced early American literature
• Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism, shaping revolutionary thought
• American Revolution (1765-1783) led to the formation of the United States, inspiring themes of liberty, democracy, and independence in literature
• The First Great Awakening, a religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s, influenced colonial literature with themes of spiritual redemption and moral righteousness
• Slavery and the slave trade were integral parts of the colonial economy, particularly in the South, leading to the emergence of slave narratives as a literary genre
• Native American displacement and conflict with European settlers shaped early American literature, often portraying indigenous peoples as either noble savages or barbaric enemies

Major Literary Movements

• Puritanism emphasized religious devotion, moral righteousness, and the importance of education, as seen in works like "The Day of Doom" by Michael Wigglesworth
• The Age of Reason, or Enlightenment, valued rationalism, skepticism, and scientific inquiry, as reflected in the works of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine
• Neoclassicism drew inspiration from classical Greek and Roman literature, focusing on order, balance, and restraint, as seen in the poetry of Phillis Wheatley
• Romanticism emerged in the late 18th century, emphasizing emotion, individualism, and the beauty of nature, as exemplified by the works of Washington Irving
• Gothic literature, a subgenre of Romanticism, explored themes of horror, mystery, and the supernatural, as seen in the works of Charles Brockden Brown
• The Revolutionary period focused on political writings, such as pamphlets, essays, and speeches, that argued for independence and democracy, like Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

Notable Authors and Works

• Anne Bradstreet, the first published poet in colonial America, known for her religious and personal poetry in works like "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America"
• Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan theologian and preacher, famous for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
• Benjamin Franklin, a key figure of the Enlightenment, known for his autobiography, "Poor Richard's Almanack," and political writings
• Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry, "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral"
• Thomas Paine, a political activist and philosopher, author of influential pamphlets like "Common Sense" and "The American Crisis"
• Washington Irving, a short story writer and essayist, known for works like "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
• Olaudah Equiano, a former slave who wrote an influential autobiography, "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano"

Themes and Motifs

• Religious devotion and moral righteousness, particularly in Puritan literature, which emphasized the importance of faith and the struggle against sin
• Individualism and self-reliance, as seen in the works of Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, reflecting Enlightenment and Romantic ideals
• Liberty and democracy, central themes in Revolutionary literature, as writers argued for independence and the rights of the individual
• Nature and the wilderness, often portrayed as a source of spiritual revelation and a symbol of American identity, as in the works of Washington Irving
• Slavery and the struggle for freedom, depicted in slave narratives like Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, which exposed the horrors of the slave trade and argued for abolition
• The American Dream, the idea that through hard work and determination, anyone can achieve success and prosperity, as exemplified in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography
• The conflict between civilization and the wilderness, a recurring theme in early American literature, as seen in captivity narratives and frontier tales

Literary Techniques and Styles

• Plain style, a simple and direct manner of writing favored by Puritan authors, emphasizing clarity and moral instruction over artistic flourish
• Allegory, a narrative in which characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral principles, as seen in works like "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan
• Satire, the use of humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize society or individuals, as employed by Benjamin Franklin in "Poor Richard's Almanack"
• Epistolary form, a story told through a series of letters, as in "The Letters of John and Abigail Adams"
• Captivity narratives, accounts of individuals captured by Native Americans, often featuring themes of religious faith and cultural conflict, such as Mary Rowlandson's "The Sovereignty and Goodness of God"
• Slave narratives, autobiographical accounts of the experiences of enslaved individuals, often emphasizing the horrors of slavery and the struggle for freedom, as in Olaudah Equiano's autobiography
• Gothic elements, including horror, mystery, and the supernatural, as seen in the works of Charles Brockden Brown, considered the first American novelist

Impact on American Identity

• Colonial and Revolutionary literature helped shape a distinct American identity, emphasizing values like individualism, self-reliance, and democracy
• The Puritan work ethic and emphasis on education laid the foundation for the American Dream and the belief in social mobility through hard work
• The Revolutionary period fostered a sense of national pride and unity, as writers argued for independence and the rights of the individual
• Frontier literature and captivity narratives contributed to the myth of the American wilderness as a source of spiritual renewal and a symbol of national identity
• Slave narratives and abolitionist literature helped expose the injustices of slavery and sowed the seeds for the eventual Civil War and the end of slavery in America
• The diversity of voices in early American literature, including Native American oral traditions, African American writings, and women's literature, laid the groundwork for a more inclusive American literary canon

Connections to Modern Literature

• The influence of Puritanism can still be seen in contemporary American literature, particularly in the works of authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Flannery O'Connor
• The Transcendentalist movement, an outgrowth of Romanticism, influenced 20th-century writers like Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation
• The slave narrative tradition paved the way for later African American writers, such as Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison
• Gothic literature's exploration of the dark side of human nature and the supernatural influenced later American writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, and Anne Rice
• The American Dream and the idea of self-reinvention, central themes in early American literature, continue to shape contemporary American fiction and non-fiction
• The emphasis on nature and the environment in early American literature laid the foundation for the modern environmental movement and nature writing, as seen in the works of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Annie Dillard

Critical Analysis and Interpretation

• Feminist literary criticism has re-examined the works of early American women writers, like Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley, highlighting their contributions and the challenges they faced in a male-dominated society
• Postcolonial theory has offered new perspectives on the representation of Native Americans and the impact of colonialism in early American literature
• New Historicism has explored the social, political, and cultural contexts in which early American literature was produced, revealing the complex interplay between texts and their historical moments
• Ecocriticism has focused on the representation of nature and the environment in early American literature, examining how these texts reflect and shape attitudes towards the natural world
• Critical race theory has analyzed the representation of race and the legacy of slavery in early American literature, particularly in slave narratives and abolitionist writings
• Reader-response criticism has emphasized the role of the reader in constructing meaning from early American texts, highlighting the diverse ways in which these works have been interpreted over time
• Comparative literature has placed early American literature in a global context, examining its connections to and influences from other literary traditions, such as British, European, and African literature