Introduction to Early Colonial American Literature

Course Introduction and Academic Expectations

• The course, American Literature, is held in Classroom 131 under the instruction of Dr. Newsome.
• Academic success in this course relies heavily on organized note-taking. Notes should be dated and titled specifically (e.g., "Intro to Early Colonial Literature"), with clear transitions when moving between poets or authors, such as moving from Phyllis Wheatley to Jupiter Hammon.
• All information written on the board or highlighted in class is considered essential material that will appear on the midterm and final exams, as well as critical writing assignments and discussion posts.
• Students are required to complete the Syllabus Acknowledgement quiz on Canvas, which takes approximately $2$ to $3$ minutes.
• Campus emergency notifications must be set up via the cell phone registration link to prepare for potential closures during hurricane season.

The Foundations of Early Colonial Groups

• The introduction to American literature provides an overview of different groups immigrating to the Americas, bringing established literature with them or creating new forms based on the commingling of indigenous and arriving populations.
• The Separatists and the Puritans:
  • Prior to arriving in the New World, the group commonly known as Puritans were referred to as "Separatists" in England.
  • They were forced out of England due to their refusal to agree with the King.
  • Before obtaining a charter for the New World, they lived in Denmark and other European locations until they were similarly displaced.
  • Their voyage was a commercial entity, not just a matter of religious convenience.
• Commercial and Developmental Interests:
  • While Separatists sought religious freedom, others came for land acquisition, debt repayment, or to gather resources from the natural world (seeds, flowers, and native items) to expand European empires.
• Early European Claims and Settlements:
  • The Spanish held the first legal claim to the New World from a European perspective.
  • The first long-standing English colony was the Jamestown Colony, established in $1607$. This colony was a commercial enterprise and not based on Puritan concepts.
  • Native Americans are the original inhabitants on "native soil," preceding all European arrivals.

Native American Literature ($1200$ – $1700$)

• Oral Tradition and Performance:
  • Native American literature was primarily an oral tradition. While they had systems of written communication (some resembling Egyptian hieroglyphics or perceived as more primitive), their literature was transmitted through performance, chants, and songs.
  • This mirrors early European literacy, where literacy was reserved for upper classes and traveling performers—known as "Schoetz" and "Gleben"—would perform ballads for communities.
• Genre and Content:
  • The preferred genres were creation stories and myths. These stories explained the origin of the world, man, and natural features like rivers.
  • Notable political systems existed before European arrival, such as the Powhatan Confederacy and the Iroquois Nation (League of Five Nations).
  • The Iroquois Constitution is a detailed political document with many similarities to modern governance systems.
• Authenticity and Decline:
  • The "authentic" period of this literature is generally dated between $1200$ and the mid-$1600$s to $1700$s. After this point, race-mixing and European interaction began to alter the original forms.

European Exploration Literature ($1400$ – $1700$)

• Explorer literature was often written to satisfy a "boss" or the monarchy (the Crown) that funded the charter. Thus, the rhetoric often includes embellishments and needs careful analysis to distinguish fact from fantasy.
• Primary Genre Forms:
  • Travel Logs and Journals: Documents of the work performed, experiences, and observations of the New World.
  • Maps: This was where the "money" was. Monarchs (Spanish, British, French) needed precise maps to identify claimable land, resources, and inhabitant populations for negotiation or warfare.
• Notable Explorers:
  • Columbus.
  • Cabeza de Vaca (known for embellishing his travels).
  • Coronado.
  • Captain John Smith (his whereabouts are easier to document because other writers corroborated his accounts).

Puritan Literature and Style ($1600$ – $1700$)

• Even though the Puritan "experiment" was relatively short-lived and involved a small group, it had a massive impact on American culture and literature that persists today.
• Theocracy and Literacy:
  • The Puritans aimed to build a religious community (a theocracy) based on Calvinist theology.
  • Literacy was vital because they believed every person should be able to read the Bible. Most Puritan ministers were highly literate.
• Major Literary Genres:
  • Sermons: The most important part of the week. Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is cited as the most famous American sermon due to its powerful rhetoric, figurative language, and imagery.
  • Personal Letters: Letters sent back home to Europe, such as Crèvecoeur’s "Letters from an American Farmer," which reflected on the prosperity found in America.
  • Histories: Leaders in the community often wrote these, such as John Smith’s history of Virginia and William Bradford’s "History of Plymouth Plantation."
  • The New England Primer: The first established English textbook produced on American soil.
  • Captivity Narratives: Highly popular accounts of individuals captured by Native Americans. An example includes the narrative of Mary Rowlandson. These accounts require rhetorical analysis as authors often omitted unpleasant details.

Literary Movement Comparison: Plain Style vs. Neoclassicism

• While European writers like William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were contributing to the Renaissance and Elizabethan literature, Puritans deliberately rejected those styles.

Homework and Upcoming Schedule

• Homework: Read Native American literature selections numbers $58$, $59$, $60$, and $62$.
• Monday: The class will focus specifically on numbers $58$ and $59$ and engage in an introductory discussion. Information on Acadians/Evangeline and their connection to Louisiana heritage may also be discussed.
• Wednesday: There is a scheduled Native American Literature Quiz. Students should be familiar with the readings by Monday to participate in the lecture and ask informed questions.