山东农业大学精品课程《英美文学史》课件：unit 8.pptVIP

Unit 8 The 17 th Century Literature of Puritanism? I. Basic Puritan Beliefs - Tulip 1. Total Depravity - through Adam and Eves 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 - Gods 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. II. The Function of Puritan Writers 1. 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. III. The Style of Puritan Writing 1. 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. IV. Reasons for Puritan Literary Dominance over the Virginians 1. 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. V. Common Themes in Early Puritan Writing 1. Idealism - both religious and political. 2. Pragmaticism - practicality and purposiveness. VI. Forces Undermining Puritanism 1. A persons natural desire to do good - this works against predestination. 2. Dislike of a closed life. 3. Resentment of the power of the few over many. 4. Change in economic conditions - growth of fishery, farms, etc. 5. Presence of