The Puritan Influence American Literature 1472-1750

1. The Puritan InfluenceAmerican Literature1472-1750

2. The Legacy of the Puritans Who were the Puritans? 1. English Protestant minority 2. Left England amid persecution of their lifestyle and religious beliefs.

3. What were their basic beliefs? 1. Piousness 2. Righteousness 3. Hard Work 4. Bible was the literal word of God. 5. Original Sin (Man was born a sinner) 6. Predestination (It was decided at birth by God whether you were going to heaven or hell.) 7. Wealth was sign of Gods approval

4. How did the Puritans influence our values and ideals? The Puritan Work Ethic became and remains a model of American hard work ethic and led to our place as a modern industrial giant. 2. We remain a relatively Protestant nation with a very conservative bias. 3. We look at ourselves as a special nation and our foreign policy of intervention and getting involved shows this. This is a direct result of the idea of being a "city upon a hill."

5. Two Important New England Settlements The Plymouth Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony Flagship Mayflower arrives - 1620Leader - William BradfordSettlers known as Pilgrims and Separatists"The Mayflower Compact" provides forsocial, religious, and economic freedom,while still maintaining ties to Great Britain Flagship Arbella arrives - 1630Leader - John WinthropSettlers are mostly Puritans or Congregational Puritans"The Arbella Covenant" clearly establishesa religious and theocratic settlement,free of ties to Great Britain

6. Basic Puritan Beliefs 1. Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin. 2. Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are selected for salvation - concept of predestination. 3. Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone. 4. Irresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God. 5. Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God - something impossible in Puritanism.

7. Additional Beliefs Typology: Manifest Destiny: The belief that God's intentions are present in human action and in natural phenomenon. Failure to understand these intentions are human limitations. Puritans believed in cyclical or repetitive history; they use "types" - Moses prefigures Jesus, Jonah's patience is reflected in Jesus' ordeal on the cross, and Moses' journey out of Egypt is played out in the Pilgrims' crossing of the Atlantic. God's wrath and reward are also present in natural phenomena like flooding, bountiful harvest, the invasion of locusts, and the lightening striking a home. The concept of manifest destiny is as old as the first New England settlements. Without using the words, John Winthrop articulated the concept in his famous sermon, the Arbella Covenant (1630), when he said: " ... for we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; ..." Winthrop exhorts his listeners to carry on God's mission and to set a shining example for the rest of the world. From this beginning, the concept has had religious, social, economic, and political consequences. The words manifest destiny were first used by editor John L. O'Sullivan in 1845.

8. The Function of Puritan Writers To transform a mysterious God - mysterious because he is separate from the world. 2. To make him more relevant to the universe. 3. To glorify God.

9. PILGRIMS GOING TO CHURCHby George Henry Boughton1833-1905

10. The Style of Puritan Writing Protestant - against ornateness; reverence for the Bible. 2. Purposiveness - there was a purpose to Puritan writing - described in Part II above. 3. Puritan writing reflected the character and scope of the reading public, which was literate and well-grounded in religion.

11. Reasons for Puritan Literary Dominance over the Virginians Puritans were basically middle class and fairly well-educated. 2. Virginians were tradesmen and separated from English writing. 3. Puritans were children of the covenant; gave them a drive and a purpose to write.

12. Common Themes in Early Puritan Writing Idealism - both religious and political. 2. Pragmaticism - practicality and purposiveness.

13. The Puritan Plain Style This section explores the Puritan influence on America’s emerging identity. The poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor exemplifies the Puritan “plain style,” though Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband” is unusual for its treatment of marital, rather than religious love. Like the Puritans who first heard it, students are more likely to find Jonathan Edward’s fiery sermon to be a compelling aspect of Puritan belief.

14. A Major Poet. Anne Bradstreet’s poetry is recognized as one of the greatest literary achievements of seventeenth-century New England and a valuable source of information on the Puritan woman’s perspectives on her society. Her work remains a tribute to the power of her intellect, the depth of her passion, and her capacity for self-expression. Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and Poet1612-1672

15. Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), colonial New England minister and missionary, was one of the greatest preachers and theologians in American history.

16. The Puritan Plain Style isCharacterized by: Short Words Direct Statements References to Everyday Objects and Experiences

17. What is the relationship between literature and place? How does literature shape or reflect society? What Makes American Literature American?