Colonial Literature - theory

 Where is the beginning of American literature? And what can be seen as American literature? Many “histories” of American literature start with the writing of Captain John Smith and his Pocahontas story, moving on to Puritan chronicles. Yet, can the texts be limited only to those written in English? The beginnings of American literature can be, and are, connected not only with the writings of Christopher Columbus and other explorers like Leif Eriksson (Voyages to Vinland) but also with the oral literature and culture of Native Americans before the arrival of Columbus.

There was a rich Native American oral culture in North America, even before the arrival of Europeans. The earliest myths, legends and songs were orally transmitted by the more than 500 hundred Indian tribes. Their cultures, as well as languages, were varied according to the place of their settlement, society organization, religion and way of life, e.g., narratives of hunting cultures like the Navajo, stories of agricultural tribes such as the Acoma, or desert tribes like Hopi. 

 As a vision, America existed a long time before its discovery. Columbus, expecting to reach the shores of India brought with him a complex set of expectations. There was wealth, strange cultures and Paradise-like nature, yet at the same time, there were conflicts, diseases and danger. The first writers were mainly Europeans co brought their speech, manners, politics, and religion. The Colonists thought of themselves as Europeans; and, when they wrote, they discussed issues of interest in Europe, and followed European models of style. Yet from the very beginning, their Old-World manner of life was modified by their new environment. Colonial literature was, therefore, the product of two basic forces: the European cultural heritage and the American environment.

 The first written record of America, though not the mainland, came from CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS on October 12, 1492 in The Journal of the First Voyage of Christopher Columbus (1492–3): “At two hours after midnight the land was sighted at a distance of 2 leagues.” (Adolph Caso, To America, 123) The explorers renamed the island to San Salvador and started to ruthlessly conquer the island by force. 

 EARLY WRITING IN ENGLISH COLONIES 

New England, which was named by John Smith, underwent a different development from the Southern colonies. This region was not settled by the more liberal Anglicans, but by their opponents, the Puritans, who wanted to "purify" the church of England. 

The first wave of Puritans, following Smith’s maps, arrived in Plymouth, America in 1620 on the ship Mayflower. They also decided to keep records of the way of life in the colonies. The Chronicle thus became one of the most popular genres of the period. The Puritans brought with them a printing press and in 1640 published the first book on the American continent A Bay Psalme Book. It was a metrical version of Psalms to be used in churches. 

The writers were examining and searching for the relationship between God and man, trying to separate the words from their ornamental and ceremonial meanings to present the truth about the world. The style, seemingly simple, included many metaphors and biblical allusions to the Old Testament, yet used only for a clearer and more direct presentation of the way the Puritans envisioned the world. 

 The governor of the Plymouth Colony was WILLIAM BRADFORD (1590-1657). He was the judge, divided land and supervised trade and agriculture. He was born in England and soon joined the Separatists, who saw no hope of reforming the Anglican Church. He became famous for his chronicle Of Plimouth Plantation (written 1630–1650, published 1865) where he relates the beginnings of the settlement. It is the earliest record of Puritan ideas and intentions. 

INDIAN CAPTIVITY NARRATIVE 

The chronicles combine diaries with religious visions; this is true also for a typically American form: the Indian Captivity Narrative. It contains the narration of obstacles, failures and difficulties in combination with nostalgia for the pure past. The authors were telling their stories of Indian captivity and salvation. The stories included elements of adventure and sermons, as they were seen as God’s test. The most famous Indian Captivity narrative was written by MARY ROWLANDSON (c.1635-c.1678). She published her detailed account of her captivity during the French Indian War. 

PURITAN POETRY 

All writings were meant to cultivate and define a holy life. The works written chiefly for entertainment, such as theatrical plays or novels, were not appreciated. The Puritans supported only religious, scientific and didactic writings, yet there were several poets who, aside from keeping to spiritual and religious poetry, were recognized even in Europe. 

 The first one was ANNE BRADSTREET (c. 1612-1672) who came to America when she was eighteen on the ship Arbella. She published the first book of poems by an American which was at the same time the first American book published by a woman. It was released in England in 1650 under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650) and shows the influence of Edmund Spenser, Philip Sidney, and Metaphysical poets. Except for the religious themes, she often wrote about common everyday life and her husband and children. Moreover, she was also critical of the Puritan society, which treated women as inferior. 

EDWARD TAYLOR (c. 1644-1729) was a poet and preacher born in England. He studied at Cambridge and then at Harvard College for three years. He knew Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Taylor was influenced by the British Metaphysical Poets, mainly John Donne and George Herbert. He was aware of the anti-poetical sentiments in the community and even though he was addressing religious subjects, he decided not to publish his poems. The first edition came out in 1937. He wrote elegies, lyrical poems and meditative poems. His best works, according to modern critics, are the series of short Preparatory Meditations. 

 MICHAEL WIGGLESWORTH (1631-1705) was like Taylor an English-born, Harvard-educated Puritan minister who practiced medicine. He continues the Puritan themes in his best-known work, The Day of Doom (1662) which became the best-selling poem of the period, dealing with the Calvinist doctrine of Last Judgement in the form of a ballad.