Literature of the Per…

ItwasanoddlyassortedgroupthatestablishedthefoundationsofAmericanliterature:theNativeAmericanswiththeiroraltraditions，thePuritanswiththeirpreoccupationwithsinandsalvation，andthesouthernplanterswiththeirbusysociallives.Indeed，muchoftheliteraturethatthecolonistsreadwasnotpro－ducedinthecolonies—itcamefromEngland.Yet，by1750，thereweretheclearbeginningsofanativeliteraturethatwouldonedaybehonoredthroughouttheEnglish-speakingworld.NativeAmericanTraditionForalongtime，NativeAmericanliteraturewasviewedmainlyasfolklore.Theconsequencewasthatsonglyrics，herotales，mi－grationlegends，andaccountsofthecreationwerestudiedmorefortheircontentthanfortheirliteraryqualities.Inanoraltradition，thetellingofthetalemaychangewitheachspeaker，andthewordsarealmostsuretochangeovertime.Thus，nofixedversionsofsuchliteraryworksexist.Still，incaseswherethewordsofNativeAmericanlyricsornarrativeshavebeencapturedinwriting，thelanguageisoftenpoeticandmoving.Asmightbeexpectedinanoralsetting，or－atorywasmuchprizedamongNativeAmericans.Thenamesofcertainorators，suchasLoganandRedJacket，werewidelyknown.ThesamplesofNativeAmericanliteratureinthisunitrevealthedepthandpowerofthoseoriginalAmericanvoices.「InAdam』sFall/WeSinnedAll」JustasreligiondominatedthelivesofthePuritans，italsodominatedtheirwritings—mostofwhichwouldnotbeconsid－eredliteraryworksbymodernstandards.Typically，thePuritanswrotetheologicalstudies，hymns，histories，biographies，andautobiographies.Thepurposeofsuchwritingwastoprovidespiritualinsightandinstruction.WhenPuritanswroteforthemselvesinjournalsordiaries，theiraimwastheseriouskindofself-examina－tiontheypracticedinotheraspectsoftheirlives.ThePuritansproducedneitherfictionnordramabecausetheyregardedbothassinful.ThePuritansdidwritepoetry，however，asavehicleofspiritualenlighten－ment.Althoughtheywerelessconcernedwithapoem』sliteraryformthanwithitsmessage，somewriterswerenaturallymoregiftedthanothers.AfewexcellentPuritanpoetsemergedinthe1600』s，amongthemAnneBradstreetandEdwardTaylor.AnneBradstreet』smoving，personalvoiceandEdwardTaylor』sdevotion－alintensityshinethroughtheconventionalPuritanismoftheirthemes.ThePuritanshadastrongbeliefineducationforbothmenandwomen.In1636，theyfoundedHarvardCollegetoensureawelleducatedministry.Twoyearslater，theysetupthefirstprintingpressinthecolonies.In1647，freepub－licschoolswereestablishedinMassachusetts.TheNewEnglandPrimer，firstpublishedaround1690，combinedinstructioninspellingandreadingwithmoral－isticteachings，suchas「InAdam』sfall/Wesinnedall.」OneofthefirstbooksprintedinthecolonieswastheBayPsalmBook，thestandardhymnalofthetime.IncreaseMather，oneofthebook』sthreeauthors，servedformanyyearsaspastoroftheNorthChurchinBoston.Hewasalsotheauthorofsome130books.CasesofConscienceConcerningEvilSpirits，pub－lishedin1693，wasadiscourseontheSalemwitchcrafttrialsofthepreviousyear.Thetrials，conductedinanatmosphereofhysteria，resultedinthehangingoftwentypeopleaswitches.Increase』seldestson，CottonMather，farexceededhisfather』sliteraryout－put，publishingatleast400worksinhislifetime.CottonMather，likehisfather，isrememberedinpartbecauseofhisconnectionwiththeSalemwitchcrafttrials.Althoughhedidnotactuallytakepartinthetrials，hisworksonwitchcrafthadhelpedtostirupsomeofthehysteria.Still，CottonMatherwasoneofthemostlearnedmenofhistime，apowerinthestateandanotableauthor.Histheoryofwritingwassimple(althoughhiswritingwasnot):Themoreinformationaworkcontains，thebetteritsstyle.Infact，thePuritansingeneralhadatheoryofliterarystyle.Theybelievedinaplainstyleofwriting—oneinwhichclearstatementisthehighestgoal.Anornateorcleverstylewouldbeasignofvanityand，assuch，wouldnotbeinac－cordancewithGod』swill.Despitetherestrictionsbuiltintotheirlifeandlitera－ture，thePuritanssucceededinproducingasmallbodyofexcellentwriting.SouthernVoicesConsideringthenumberofbrilliantlyliteratestatesmenwhowouldlateremergeintheSouth，especiallyinVirginia，itseemssurprisingthatonlyafewnotablesouthernwritersappearedpriorto1750.AsinPuritanNewEngland，thosewhowereeducatedproducedasubstantialamountofwriting，butitwasmostlyofapracticalnature.Forexample，JohnSmith，theleaderofthesettlementatJamestown，Virginia，wroteTheGeneralHistoryofVirginiatodescribehisexperiencesforEu－ropeans.InadditiontoaccountslikeSmith』s，letterswrittenbysouthernplantersalsoprovidein－sightintothistime，southernersdidnotopposefictionordrama，andthefirsttheaterinAmericaopenedinWilliamsburg，Virginia，in1716.  [返]