TheConstructionoftheCoursew 1.AmericanCultureandSocietyw 2.AmericanLiteratureRootandFlowerw 3.TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaw 4.TheLiteratureofReasonandRevolutionw 5.TheLiteratureofRomanticismw 6.TheLiteratureofRealismw 7.Twentieth-CenturyLiteraturew 8.WomenWritersinAmericaw 9.JewishAmericanWritersw 10.BlackLiteratureTheConstructionoftheCoursew 1.AmericanCultureandSocietyw 2.AmericanLiteratureRootandFlowerw 3.TheLiteratureofColonialAmericaw 4.TheLiteratureofReasonandRevolutionw 5.TheLiteratureofRomanticismw 6.TheLiteratureofRealismw 7.Twentieth-CenturyLiteraturew 8.WomenWritersinAmericaw 9.JewishAmericanWritersw 10.BlackLiteratureContinuedw 11.SouthernLiteraturew 12.PostmodernFictionw 13.ModernDramaChapterOnew AmericanCultureandSocietyJamestown(1607)w JamestownwasfoundedonMay14,1607,byasmallgroupledbyCaptainChristopherNewport,whowashiredbytheLondonCompanytotransportcolonists.w ThePuritanshadcometoNewEnglandforthesakeofreligiousfreedom,whileVirginiahadbeenplantedmainlyasacommercialventure.JohnSmithsLifew 1.InDecember1606,SmithandtherestofthecolonialexpeditionsetsailforAmerica.w 2.Smithwasoneofsevenmenchosentobeon thegoverningCouncilofVirginiabythe LondonCompany.w 3.InDecember1607GeorgeKendall,theleaderofthecouncilofJamestown,wasshotformutiny.Smithwaschosenpresidentofthecolonyin1608.w 4.SmithorganizedtradewiththeNativeAmericansandledexpeditionstoexploreandmaptheregionsurroundingJamestown.w 5.SmithwaspresidentoftheJamestowncolonyfrom1608to1609,whenhereturnedtoEnglandafterbeingbadlyburnedinanaccident.w 6.In1614hereturnedtoAmericaandledanexpeditionthatexploredandmappedthecoastofNewEngland,whichhenamed.w Smithinsistedthatallthecolonistswork,declaring:“Hethatwillnotworkshallnoteat,exceptbysicknesshebedisabled.”HisWorksw SmithwasaprolificwriterandanardentsupporterofEnglishcolonizationinAmerica.w 1.TheGenerallHistorieofVirginia,New-England,andtheSummerIsles(1624)w 2.TheTrueTravels,Adventures,andObservationsofCaptaineJohnSmith(1630)Continuedw 11.SouthernLiteraturew 12.PostmodernFictionw 13.ModernDramaChapterTwow AmericanLiteratureRootandFlowerIntroductionw Today,theinfluenceofAmericanliteraturehasnowspedallovertheworldsothatthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcenturyhasseenagrowingrapprochement.Continuedw Butwemustacknowledgethatourgreatestnineteenthcenturywritersandmuchofthenon-specialistwriterstodayhaveignoredessentialdifferencesbetweentheEuropeanliteratureandthatofAmerican.TheDifferencesw 1.Thefirstimportantdifferenceissimplystated.InasensethedevelopmentofNorthAmericanliteraturereversedthehistoryofeveryothernationalliterature.Insteadofbeginningwithfolktalesandsongsitbeganwithabstractionsandproceededfromphilosophytofiction.ContinuedA.Thecoloniesdevelopednooralorfolkliterature,suchashadcharacterizedthefirststagesofEnglish,French,German,Italian,Russian,Spanishand,indeed,allEuropean,ifnotallworld,culture.B.TheinfluentialProtestantworkethic,reinforcedbythepracticalnecessitiesofahardpioneerlife,inhibitedthedevelopmentofanyreadingmatterdesignedsimplyforleisure-timeentertainment.Continuedw Thepre-revolutionarywritinginthecolonieswas,therefore,essentiallyoftwokinds:n1)Practicalmatter-of-factaccountsoffarming,hunting,travel,etc.designedtoinformpeople“athome”whatlifewaslikeinthenewworld,and,often,toinducetheirimmigration;2)Highlytheoretical,generallypolemical,discussionsofreligiousquestions.Continuedw 2.Inadditiontothisuniquenon-existenceofanypopularorfolkliterature,andtheexistenceofsubstantialbodyofwidelyread,highlytheoreticalwriting,theaccountsofpersonalexperiencesalsodifferedfromsimilarEnglishreports.Continuedw 3.Finally,therewasalsoavitallyimportantphilosophy,characteristicoflifeintheUnitedStateswhichdifferentiated,indegreeatleast,itscultureandthereforeitsliteraturefromthatofEurope.w AlexdeTocquevillesw DemocracyintheUnitedStates(1831)w “Individualismisamatureandcalmfeelingwhichdisposeseachmemberofthecommunitytoseverhimselffromthemassoffellow-creatures:.Aristocracyhadmadeachainofallthemembersofacommunity,fromthepeasanttotheking;democracybreaksthatchain,andseverseverylinkofit.Thusnotonlydoesdemocracymakeeverymanforgethisancestors,butithideshisdescendants,andseparateshiscontemporariesfromhim;itthrowshimbackforeveruponhimselfalone,andthreatensintheendtoconfinehimentirelywithinthesolitudeofhisownheart.”Anothersignofthetimes.isthenewimportancegiventothesingleperson.Everythingthattendstoinsulatetheindividualtosurroundhimwithbarriersofnaturalrespect,sothateachmanshallfeeltheworldishis,andmanshalltreatwithmanassovereignstatewithasovereignstatetendstotrueunionaswellasgreatness.w CertainlyindividualismdidnotoriginateintheUnitedStates,norwasitconfinedtothatyoungnation.Itwasanintrinsicpartofthephilosophyofthebourgeoisrevolutionhaving,perhaps,itsclearestandmostnatureearlyexpressioninsixteenthcenturyElizabethanEngland.w Astheworditselfimplies,thephilosophyofindividualismstressedtheimportanceofthesinglemanorwomanratherthanthatofthecommunityorclassorevenfamily.w TheolderCatholicreligionplacedgreatemphasisonmansdutytofillwellthepositioninwhichGod