Study Guide: Puritans to Transcendentalism

Puritans
The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement known as Puritanism that arose within the
Church of England in the late 16th century. They believed the Church of England was too similar to the
Roman Catholic Church and should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible.
Puritans felt that they had a direct covenant with God to enact these reforms. Under siege from Church and
crown, certain groups of Puritans migrated to Northern English colonies in the New World in the 1620s and
1630s, laying the foundation for the religious, intellectual and social order of New England. Aspects of
Puritanism have reverberated throughout American life ever since.
Characteristics of Puritan Writing
Genres
Early literature written by Puritans in America often appeared as first person narratives in the form of
journals and diaries. Early American colonists wrote their accounts of immigration, settling in America, and
day-to-day life in journals to pass their stories down. Many Puritans also wrote letters to send back to
Europe to family and friends they left behind. Very little fiction appeared during this period; Puritans
valued realistic writing with an emphasis on religious themes.
Puritan genres included:
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Sermons
Historical narrative
Poetry
Diary, journals, personal narratives – record of personal spiritual struggle
Biography
History - envolving from personal narratives, seeking more general patterns of events, typology as
reading history, jeremiad
Plain Style
Puritans lived a simple life based on the concepts of humility and simplicity. This influence comes from
their religious beliefs and the Bible. Wearing elaborate clothing or having conceited thoughts offended
Puritans. Puritan writing mimics these cultural values in its plain writing style. Puritans wrote directly to
the point, and avoided much of the eleborate writing style that became popular in Europe. Simple
sentences with common language allowed Puritans to communicate information without feeling like they
were drawing attention to themselves.
Purpose
Puritans wrote with specific purposes in mind. Even the letters they wrote to friends and family in Europe
performed more of a purpose than simply communicating about their lives and keeping in touch. Puritans'
religious beliefs affected their lives on all levels, and their writing illustrated their religion's values, such as
the importance of the church and the influence of God in their lives. Writing often became instructive,
teaching Christian values. The Puritans did not believe that literature was for entertainment; therefore,
they frowned upon "entertainment" genres such as drama (plays) and fiction novels.
Differences between Edwards and Franklin (Edwards/Franklin – the evolution of Puritan ethics)
Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin are two major figures in history. Edwards was a very religious
Puritan minister, and Benjamin Franklin was the opposite; a diplomat, inventor, negotiator, merchant along
with many other qualities. Each man had goals in their life. Though the reasons for the goals may be
different, they both were very serious about accomplishing them.
The goals that each man had in life were far from similar. Edwards was very committed to his religion, and
did much more than the average Puritan. Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan minister and wrote the very
famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. His words were very powerful, and even though it
could be considered negative, people were affected. Edwards wanted to warn people of their fate, though
they were supposedly damned anyway. Edwards, I think, wanted to be saved. The way he talked of hell, I
could not imagine him expecting to go there.
Ben Franklin wanted to accomplish as much as possible in his lifetime. He was a merchant at first, and then
moved to become an inventor, a diplomat, and a negotiator. Franklin was not religious at all. He was a
scientist, and really did not have time in his life for faith.
The religious views of Franklin were that mankind was basically good, but Edwards' views were that man
was basically evil.
"The Day of Doom: or, A Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgment" is a religious poem by
clergyman Michael Wigglesworth that became a best-selling classic in Puritan New England for a century
after it was published in 1662 by Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson. The poem describes the Day of
Judgment, on which a vengeful God judges and sentences all men, going into detail as to the various
categories of people who think themselves excusable who will nonetheless end up in Hell. The poem was so
popular that the early editions were thumbed to shreds. Only one fragmentary copy of the first edition is
known to exist, and second editions are exceptionally rare
“The Great Awakening” Jonathan Edwards
The Great Awakening was a religious revival that impacted the English colonies in America during the 1730s
and 1740s. The movement came at a time when the idea of secular rationalism was being emphasized, and
passion for religion had grown stale. Christian leaders often traveled from town to town, preaching about
the gospel, emphasizing salvation from sins and promoting enthusiasm for Christianity. The result was a
renewed dedication toward religion. Many historians believe the Great Awakening had a lasting impact on
various Christian denominations and American culture at large.
William Cullen Bryant
The environmental themes in the prose of J. F. Cooper; Cooper’s influence on culture
James Fenimore Cooper writing:
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basic thematic conflicts and utilizing family traditions
the first and finest detailed portrait of frontier life in American literature; it is also the first truly
original American novel (“The Pioneers”)
themes of the frontier, white/Indian conflict, and America's westward expansion as proper subjects
for literary works.
themes of the frontier, white/Indian conflict, and America's westward expansion as proper subjects
for literary works.
The Pioneers introduced two of the three fundamental ideas of the environmental movement: the
conservation of natural resources for man, and the beauty of nature and the wilderness.
Throughout The Pioneers Judge Temple expresses his concern that the thoughtless settlers of Templeton
will destroy the very resources on which their life depends: the trees, and especially the sugar maples, that
fill the woods, the schools of fish that teem in Lake Otsego, and the migrating passenger pigeons that fly
past the village every Spring.
Both Cooper and his public were fascinated by the Leatherstocking character. He was encouraged to write a
series of sequels in which the entire life of the frontier scout was gradually unfolded. The Last of the
Mohicans (1826) takes the reader back to the French and Indian wars of Natty’s middle age, when he is at
the height of his powers. That work was succeeded by The Prairie (1827) in which, now very old and
philosophical, Leatherstocking dies, facing the westering sun he has so long followed.
Irving and the forms and themes of the early national literature
Washington Irving (1783-1859) has often been called "the Father of American Literature." He is thought of,
for instance, as the first American writer to make his living primarily through his creative work, and he is
the first American acclaimed by the English literary establishment as worthy of recognition. In effect, Irving
was seen as our literary declarer of Independence.
"The Father of American Literature" is a curious label for Irving, for he was not all that at "home" with
American life. His very early literary efforts -- The Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. (1802) and
Salmagundi (1807) -- are comic glances and satirical thrusts at contemporary New York society. And almost
everybody realizes once they think about it a bit that the "children's story" that is his best known work, "Rip
Van Winkle" (1819), really bemoans the fact that the Revolution marked the drastic change in America
from bucolic paradise to commercial and political Babel. The birth of America in that story is described as a
Fall, and, in fact, Irving seemed more at home in the Old World and spent much of his life there. American
democracy was no unalloyed advance in civilization. It was mobocracy, and Rip was its victim, an unwilling
"drop out." In our beginning, Irving looked back not forward.
Writing style:
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Imagery and symbolism - He has used imagery and symbolism is to urge the readers to be
imaginative and think about various perspectives for the text. Irving’s employment of symbolism
identifies with what he found, in his real life.
Comical tone – In “Rip Van Winkle”, Irving utilizes stodgy language, advanced words, and
incongruity to ridicule his characters. In the story Irving states that a turbulent person’s spouse may
in some regard be viewed as a middle of the road favoring; and provided that this is true, Rip Van
Winkle was threefold honored. This sort of statement shows the tone of Irving’s comical inclination
and mockery.
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in New
England. A core belief is in the inherent goodness of people and nature, and while society and its
institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, people are at their best when truly "self-reliant"
and independent. Transcendentalists saw divine experience inherent in the everyday, rather than believing
in a distant heaven. Transcendentalists saw physical and spiritual phenomena as part of dynamic processes
rather than discrete entities.
Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau’s experiment at Walden
Thoreau lived at the pond for two years, two months and two days. His idea was to conduct an experiment
in simple living, to lead a life according to nature and to determine the real necessities of life.
A higher law than civil law demands the obedience of the individual. Human law and government are
subordinate.
“Leaves of Grass” Walt Whitman
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the cycle of life and death, especially in comparison to the United States, the Civil War, and life
itself.
To Whitman, the complete self is both physical and spiritual. The self is man's individual identity,
his distinct quality and being, which is different from the selves of other men, although it can
identify with them.
Whitman shares the Romantic poet's relationship with nature. To him, as to Emerson, nature is
divine and an emblem of God. The universe is not dead matter, but full of life and meaning. He
loves the earth, the flora and fauna of the earth, the moon and stars, the sea, and all other
elements of nature. He believes that man is nature's child and that man and nature must never be
disjoined.
Whitman deals with death as a fact of life. Death in life is a fact, but life in death is a truth for
Whitman; he is thus a poet of matter and of spirit.
“Moby Dick” Herman Melville
major themes and symbolic meanings of Moby Dick
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Father Mapple's pulpit in the Whaleman's Chapel effectively represents this former harpooner's
approach to his ministry. Everything about the chapel reminds a visitor of life and death at sea.
Father Mapple is the captain of the ship, the congregation his crew. The pulpit itself is shaped like
the prow of a ship and features a painting of a vessel battling a storm near a rocky coast, an angel
of hope watching over it. Without much effort, we can see that the pulpit represents the leadership
of the pastor and implies that God himself is the pilot of this ship. Mapple's "shipmates," as he
refers to the congregation, often find themselves battling storms on rocky coasts — either literally,
in ships, or figuratively in the rest of their lives. They need the hope and consolation of God's grace,
as represented by the angel.
The White Whale is one of the best known symbols in American literature. What it represents
depends entirely on who is noticing. To Starbuck, Moby Dick is just another whale, except that he is
more dangerous. Early in the novel, Starbuck challenges Ahab's motives for altering the ship's
mission, from accumulating oil to killing the White Whale. On the quarter-deck in Chapter 36,
Starbuck calls it "blasphemous" to seek revenge on a "dumb brute . . . that simply smote thee from
blindest instinct!" If Starbuck sees anything beyond that in the whale, it is that Moby Dick
represents the captain's madness and a very serious diversion from the ship's proper mission.
The Samuel Enderby's captain, who has lost an arm to the White Whale, sees it as representing a
great prize in both glory and sperm oil but seems very reasonable in his desire to leave the whale
alone. He says to Ahab, "There would be great glory in killing him, I know that; and there is a shipload of precious sperm in him, but, hark ye, he's best let alone; don't you think so, Captain?"
(Chapter 100) Ahab points out that the "accursed thing is not always what least allures.
To some, the White Whale is a myth. To others, he is immortal. But one significant question is,
What is the White Whale to Ahab? Ishmael grants that Ahab views the whale as an embodiment of
evil. Ishmael himself is not so sure. The narrator often sees both sides of a question, never more so
than in Chapter 42, "The Whiteness of the Whale." There he tells us that Moby Dick's whiteness
might represent good or evil, glory or damnation, all colors or the "visible absence of color."
The Ahab vs. Ishmael opposition
In Moby Dick, one of the main differences between Captain Ahab and Ishmael concerns their attitude
towards the great white whale. Ahab is obsessed with killing the beast, which he regards as the epitome of
all that's evil. Ishmael, though fascinated by the whale, isn't quite so obsessed. He doesn't see it as evil.
Nonetheless, both men are similar in that they are effectively estranged from the world.
William Dean Howells