In the beginning times of American Literature, Puritan writers were prevalent which grew into the Age of Reason by way of scientists and philosophers, which eventually emerged into Romanticism and the Renaissance writers, which developed into Realism by the middle of 19th century. Throughout American Literature, religious ideologies and philosophies influenced the way that writers portrayed the time period, characters, feelings, and God. Through Puritan writers, literature is influenced by religious ideologies and philosophies. Puritans writers, beginning in about 1560, put most of their focus into making their work God centered. They believed in the “Elect” and that Jesus died only for these few people. Writers usually wrote in 1st person narrative and were against verbal ornamentation because they believed in simplicity above all else. They also believed that every human being is born sinful and that God’s grace was given freely to everyone. Olaudah Equiano was a puritan writer and in The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Olaudah Equiano portrays his love for God with, “Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid… Praise the Lord…” (Equiano 1). Equiano writes in thoughts and this narrative of his life is written in a subjective manner while highlighting the main events. When he tells about being torn from his siblings, put on the slave ship, and being filled with terror he explains by way of simplicity. He does not try and use verbal ornamentation but tells it how it is, which gives the reader a sense of knowledge of the situations. Mary Rowlandson uses allusions to Bible verses and stories throughout A Narrative of the Captivity, Sufferings, and Removes of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. Rowlandson tends to use the Bi... ... middle of paper ... ...sh to be shot” (Bierce 471). Later, Farquhar thinks about possible ways to escape the situation. This story is an example of realistic literature because it accurately shows the psychology of an ideal man during a life or death situation. American literature during the age of Realism accurately portrayed realistic actualities of life, speech, and thoughts during the Civil War and Post War era. From the beginning of American literature and the ways of the Puritans to the age of Realism, religious ideologies and philosophies influenced writers during each time period, in which the reader can accurately decide from which a writer is by his/her style, religious connotations, themes, and belief in intuition or reason. Each time period in American literature is symbolic in itself and proves that these traits in time truly did have an influence on early American writers.
First, both of the main speakers within each of the following Puritan literary works were ministers during the 1700s, which was around the time of the Puritans. These works were also written within third person point of view. Now, both of these ministers then express their concerns for their congregation
In America, the period of Romanticism brought up many depictions of society that held their place in America many decades ago. This society was made up of Puritans who held a strong belief system and was even their form of governing. Romantic authors like Washington Irving, who wrote “The Devil and Tom Walker”, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote The Scarlet Letter included Puritans in their stories to convey a message. In both works, the authors focus on Puritans in their stories to convey an image of who Puritans were and what they did, though not in a positive light through the use of the devil and the setting of a forest. This is because of how Romanticism generally satirized Puritans and tried to portray them as completely contradictory
In the late 1600’s, literature is dissimilar from today’s, such as focusing on being sent into the fiery pits of hell only because one hasn’t converted to Puritanism. There are also different types of writing to display the righteousness and positives of being a converted and loyal to the Puritan culture. Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are two popular Puritan authors who project different messages and portray a varying energy through a slim number of their pieces. The poems, “To My Dear and Loving Husband” or “Upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet or “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards are fit examples of the Puritan age and what Puritans belive to be religiously
...like the Puritans. Her plentiful use of scripture not only reinforces the Puritan belief in the mind of the reader, but also in Rowlandson’s own mind. If she can connect each feeling she had that was not correct in traditional Puritan thinking to a verse in the bible, she can be at peace with what she felt. She could believe that she wasn’t wrong in her feelings of gratitude and perhaps even respect for the Indian culture.
Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. 2 ed. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.1274.print.
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
In the Puritan communities, religion was not just a belief, but a way of life. Puritans were god fearing. They spent a great deal of time reading the bible and going to church. Puritans believed they were the “chosen ones” and that God was responsible for all favorable activity. Mary Rowlandson demonstrates that she was a great Puritan, and that God had specifically chosen her. She praises God for any good fortune received or deed accepted by her from the Indians. During her fourteenth remove, it began to rain, and the Indians co...
When a writer starts his work, most often than not, they think of ways they can catch their reader’s attention, but more importantly, how to awake emotions within them. They want to stand out from the rest and to do so, they must swim against the social trend that marks a specific society. That will make them significant; the way they write, how they make a reader feel, the specific way they write, and the devotion they have for their work. Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgard Allan Poe influenced significantly the American literary canon with their styles, themes, and forms, making them three important writers in America.
The greatest influence on all of Hawthorne's literature is the cultural and religious impact of Puritanism, a religious movement with a long history. During the 16th century, the Anglican Church was formed separate from Catholicism. Many English citizens at the time felt that this was a significantly drastic change. However, the religion still behaved similarly to Catholicism, much to the chagrin of the English protestants. The Church "retained much of the liturgy and ritual of Roman Catholicism and seemed, to many dissenters, to be insufficiently reformed" ("Puritanism" par. 1). After the formation of the Church of England, those Protestants who did not convert were prosecuted by the rest of the public, and the government. One such group was the Puritans, an extremely Protestant group who emphasized strong and literal adherent to the bible and its teachings. Because of their obsession with exact adherence and interpretation, many were derogatorily referred t...
The role of religion played a major role in early American literature. Many different authors form a variety of time period's incorporate religious ideas and philosophies into their writings. A few authors from different time periods that did this were Johnathan Edwards, Anne Bradstreet, and Henry David Thoreau.
American literature often examines people and motives. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, and in Arthur Miller’s dramatic classic, The Crucible, people and motives often depict patterns of Puritans struggling for life during a precarious time.
Because of their Puritanical beliefs, it is no surprise that the major theme that runs throughout Mary Rowlandson and Jonathan Edwards’s writings is religion. This aspect of religion is apparent in not only the constant mentions about God himself, but also in the heavy use of biblical scriptures. In their respective writings, Rowlandson and Edwards utilize scripture, but for different purposes; one uses it to convey that good and bad events happen solely because of God’s will, and the other uses it, in one instance, to illustrate how it brought him closer to God, and, in another instance, to justify his harsh claims about God’s powerful wrath.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," says the Declaration of Independence. This phrase encompasses three major values shown throughout early American literature. The strong belief in religion, freedom, and a strong will for a better life. Each piece had one or more of these themes within them.
Early American literature is unique in that it is abundantly influenced by Biblical themes and ideas. Being that this country was founded by the strict, fundamentalist Puritans, it seems obvious that the literature would be pervaded by such things as the presence of evil and its impact on goodness and holiness. The “evil” that is found in Melville and Hawthorne is interesting because it reflects the Biblical idea of evil tempting good and attempting to convert it rather than simply destroy it. The stories of Poe reflect the turmoil and evil that is contained within a person and tempts him or her to commit evil acts.
In order to see how cultural and historical situations affect literature throughout history, it is important to get a brief history on each era discussed in this paper. The first era we will be reviewing will be writings from 1865-1914. The Civil War was just ending in 1865. America lost over a half of million Americans in the war. The nation was in a state of disorder and the south was devastated. Nevertheless, the country prospered. America became industrialized and saw innovations such as; the railroads, telegraph, telephone, and electricity. The population of the United States had also started to increase due to immigration.