[英语学习]AMERICAN LITERATURE.pptVIP

THE EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE The Seventeenth Century Literature American Puritanism 1. Origin of Puritan A group of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church under Elizabeth I as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship a. restore simplicity to church services authority of Bible to theology b. separation of the church the state 2. Puritanism—based on Calvinism 1) predestination: God’s elect Puritans believed they are predestined before they were born. Nothing or no good work can change their fate. They believed the success of one’s business is the sign to show he is the God’s elect. So the Puritans works very hard, spend very little and invest more for the future business. They lived a very frugal life. This is their ethics. 2) original sin and total depravity Man is born sinful. This determines some puritans pessimistic attitude toward life. 3) limited atonement (the salvation of a selected few) 3. Influence on literature Basis of American literature: the dream of building a Garden of Eden on earth American literature was from the outset conditioned by the Puritan heritage. It can be said American literature is bases on the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. (Adam and Eve used to live a carefree life in the Garden of Eden. lured by the snake, they ate the Forbidden Fruit in the apple tree. A piece of apple choked in Adam’s throat , then came Adam’s apple. After knowing the truth, God became very angry and drove them all out of the Garden of Eden. The snake used to walk like man but after that the God force him to crawl. Then man was forced to suffer the labor to keep the whole family and Woman was forced to suffer the agony of baby bearing.) General features of Colonial Literature a. Humble origins: diaries, histories, journals, letters, etc. personal literature in various forms b. Content: serving either God