Benjamin Franklin (17061790)

Writer, printer, scientist, inventor, American patriot and diplomat.

Autobiography; left unfinished; it tells Franklins life until 1757.
Parts 1 and 2 are the most famous. Part 1, written in England in 1771; Part 2, written in France
in 1784, when Franklin resumed his narrative (first published as a French translation, Mmoires
de la Vie Prive de Benjamin Franklin (Paris: Chez Buisson, 1791).
Major themes and characteristics
.Unlike other contemporary personal narratives, a secular memoir; not a religious or spiritual
narrative. Utilitarian, pragmatic attitude toward experiences.
. His narrative reflects both Puritan views (the emphasis on hard work, the close relationship
between wealth and virtue) and the philosophy of the Enlightenment (Lockes theory of
property; private property as the third natural right).
.Autobiography and the formation of a national identity. Said the convey distinctive American
features such as work ethic, the confidence in progress, self-improvement, self-reliance and
individualism. The persona of Franklin and the American dream.
.The perfectibility of man. In part 2, Franklins plan for perfecting his own character, along
with the list of moral virtues he attempted to develop.
. Life-writing and honesty. The temptation to revise ones own life. Aware that he is also
creating an American myth: the myth of the man of humble beginnings who rose to
prominence through the use of reason in a country where hierarchies of nobility no longer
existed. (Meyers)
.The issue of vanity. Pride and arrogance. His failure to be humble.
.Moderation and temperance. Related to the secular character of his account.
Bibliography
Augustyn, Adam. American Literature from 1600 through 1850s. New York: Britannica
Educational Publishing, 2011.
Gray, Richard. A History of American Literature. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004
Meyers, Karen. Colonialism and the Revolutionary Road. New York: Facts on File, 2006
Shuffelton, Frank, Unspeakable Fears: Politics and Style in the Enlightenment in Paul Lauter
ed. A Companion to American Literature and Culture. Oxford: Blackwell, 2010.
Vietto, Angela. Early American Literature, 1776-1820. New York: Facts on File, 2010.