Part I and Part II The Literature of Colonial America 美国文学教材.ppt

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 * * Part I The Literature of Colonial America I. Background English traditions 1607 Jamestown Colony, Virginia 1620 Plymouth Colony 1630 Massachusetts Bay Colony II. General literary characteristics: Personal literature in its various forms: diaries, histories, letters, travel journals, ships’ logs, and reports sermon as one of its highest forms Content: theology or colonial expansion or both Form: English literary traditions were faithfully imitated and transplanted III. Early New England Literature Puritans and puritan thoughts Idealists; “purify”; persecution Theocracy somber religion Values: hard work, simplicity, thrift, piety, sobriety Puritan doctrine and literary practice contributed to the development of an indigenous symbolism. Techniques in writings: Style: fresh, simple, and direct Rhetoric: plain and honest; not without a touch of nobility often traceable to the direct influence of the Bible Question: What are the two-faceted tradition of American Puritanism? Religious idealism and level-headed c