Literary History in America

Earliest Forms of Writing in America

Earliest Forms of Writing in America

very plain and factual literature; journals, diaries, and observations of early colonists (William Bradford’s Journal); very ridged life style for the Puritans (no laughing or pleasure)

Anne Bradstreet

first published poet; Puritan; mother of eight; poems supported by Cotton Mather; wrote To my Dear and Loving Husband, The Author to Her Book, and Verses upon the Burning of our House

To My Dear and Loving Husband

expresses her love for her husband; uses hyperboles to compare her love with mines of gold and rivers; uses paradoxes such as “if ever two were one” and “that when we live no more, we may live ever”

The Author to Her Book

compares her writing to children; says her writings have mistakes and are not ready for the public view

Verses upon the Burning of our House

shows her conflicting thoughts between her emotions (Anti-Puritan) and her Puritan thoughts; uses inverses such as “for sorrow near i did not look” and “under thy roof no guest shall sit”; poem switches to Anti-Puritanism when talking abt her house and her emotions; switches back to Puritan at “Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity”; extended metaphor about heaven and God

Phillis Wheatley

1st Africa American published poet; born free in Africa and brought to America at 8 as a present for someone’s wife; she was taught how to read and write and was granted freedom because of her talents; wrote On Being Brought From Africa to America

On Being Brought From Africa to America

compares Pagan life to Christian life; uses irony because Christians were expected to be loving and good, but they treat Africans as lesser beings

Paradox

seemingly contradictory statement with a universal truth

Inversion

reversed word order (verb in the end of sentence)

Conceit

a type of extended metaphor comparing two VERY unalike things

Peroration

a flair at the end of a speech

Ben Franklin

wrote an autobiography called Masterpiece and wrote the Poor Richard’s Almanac which contained Aphorisms

Aphorisms

brief, cleverly worded statements about life

Patrick Henry

born in Virginia and grew up during the Great Awakening; one of the most persuasive figures in Virginia politics; gave the “Speech to the Virginia Convention”

“Speech to the Virginia Convention”

to convince the president that Americans will become slaves if they don’t act against Britain; uses ethos, logos, and pathos; uses mythological allusions (sirens); uses biblical allusions (kiss); uses juxtaposition (give me liberty or give me death); uses parallelism

American Romanticism

began in 1800; the 6 I’s are Intuition, Innocence, Imagination, Idealism, Individuality, and Inspiration; Natty Bumppo was the first American Hero; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the most famous poet of American Romanticism

Dark Romantics

Poe and Hawthorne; Good vs Evil; the psychological effects of guilt and sin (Scarlet Letter); madness in the human psyche (Tell-Tale Heart); all endings are not happy, all humans are not good (The Raven); Poe believed in the unity of effect

Unity of Effect

all things must work together in a story to produce an effect

Edgar Allan Poe

Born on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts; died in 1849 in Baltimore (political coup or drugs and drinking); abandoned by his dad and mom died (tuberculosis); adopted by the Allan family (John Allan did not like him); went to the military (Westpoint); lived with Virginia and her mother (Maria Clem); married Virginia and she died (tuberculosis); The Raven made him famous; wrote Annabelle Lee to immortalize Virginia; last words were “God save my poor soul”

The Mask of Red Death

Death is inescapable

Prince

represents money, wealth, materialism

7 rooms

represents the 7 stages of life

Blue

like water, new life, and baptism

Purple

like childhood, fun, and imaginative

Green

like puberty, changes, new things

Orange

like young adulthood, angsty, and angry

White

like parenthood, peace, and wisdom

Violet

like needing more care and child like again

Red

death

Direction of Rooms

East to West

Fire in Tripods

represents life

Ebony Clock

every hour is closer to death

Midnight

can be either the end or a new beginning

The Raven

wrote for the loss of Virginia; Lenore symbolizes Virginia