Literary Evolution In America
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This covers five styles from very early works to the 1800s. The Journal like style of Early Settlers, Puritanism, Revolutionary, Romanticism, and Transcendentalism.
Americans are a great people that have weathered many harsh times and survived, and we will make our way through any such times in the future.
Early Settlers needed to be pretty flexible and resourceful. They also had to be friendly with the Native Americans as to gain their trust and make living here considerably easier, perseverance was also very important. “In sundry of these storms the winds were so fierce and the seas so high… in two or three months, half of their company died” — First Thanksgiving.
Early Explorers were also very important, as they helped strengthen our relations with the Native Americans and explored the parts of the country normal settlers had yet to see. The literary style of this time was very explanatory and was more like a journal than a novel.
While it was mostly fact, the writer often over-exaggerates their own deeds and makes themselves out to be a great man/woman, and they also tended to give the Native Americans more of a savage appearance and mindset over that of what they were. La Relacion makes the Native Americans out to be terrible people: “For us there was no pleasure nor celebration nor sleep because we were waiting to seen when they would sacrifice us.” The stories of the Native Americans documented by the settlers and explorers were those of creation such as The Sky Tree and How the World Was Made. Both involve humans as well as animals, and seem to focus on nature and are a precursor to early Romanticism.
Around the mid 1700’s Puritanism began to take root, Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God greatly persecuted those who have done even the slightest of things wrong, and instilled fear of great retribution should someone do anything sinful.
During the late 1700’s Revolutionary works began to take a firm hold over the minds of many American citizens, and while living in North America had certainly become easier with time, they were hard pressed to enjoy it with the British breathing down their necks.
Patrick Henry is probably the most famous of all the Revolutionary writers next to Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. Though Thomas Paine might be equally as well known, Henrys most well known quote “Give me liberty, or give me death!” inspires those around him to begin questioning various things and jump onto the Revolutionary bandwagon. The Revolutionary writing style is mostly insults and malice towards the British oppressors and attempt to instill the readers with a strong sense of nationalism. Romanticism also began to surface during this time as well though.
Romanticism