Part I and Part II The Literature of Colonial America 美国文学课件.ppt

Declaration of Independence A formal proclamation of separation. It is a review of the causes of the quarrel with Britain and a statement which presents the American principles to the world with classic dignity, announcing the birth of a new nation. It sets forth a philosophy of human freedom. It instills among the common people a sense of their own importance and inspires struggle for personal freedom, self government and a dignified place in society. In a natural state all people were equal and independent, and everyone had a natural right to defend his “Life, health, Liberty, or Possessions“. (Locke) … all Men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,… “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. (Para. 2, 37) II. Notable writers 1. Benjamin Franklin 2. Thomas Paine 3. Thomas Jefferson 4. Philip Freneau 1. Benjamin Franklin(1706-1790) one of the founding fathers of the U.S.A A noted polymath Life: education, Silence Do-good, Junto Club, a subscription library, the University of Pennsylvania, the American Philosophical society, long list of inventions, public career began in the early fifties The only American to sign the four documents that created the United States: Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Alliance with France, The Treaty of Peace with England, and the Constitution The symbol of America in the Age of Enlightenment, he brought the colonial era to a close. In Literature: Poor Richard’s Almanac:1732 —1758，essays and poems, together with adages and common-sense witticisms Autobiography: the first of its kind in literature, one of the classics of the genre Style: simplicity, frankness, wit, clarity, subtle humor, logic and order Autobiography Structure: four parts A Puritan document: a record of self-examination and self-improvement As a spokesman for the new order of eighteenth-century enlightenment, he listed typical virtues: order and avoid extremes. Fulfillment of the American