CYRIL CONCEPCION

AMERICAN
LITERATURE
MY JOURNAL
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American literature was shaped by

the history of the country that
produced it. For almost a century and
a half, America was merely a group of
colonies scattered along the eastern
seaboard of the North American
continent—colonies from which a
few hardy souls tentatively ventured
westward. After a successful
rebellion against the motherland,
America became the United States, a
nation. By the end of the 19th
century this nation extended
southward to the Gulf of Mexico,
northward to the 49th parallel, and
westward to the Pacific.
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This history of American literature begins with

the arrival of English-speaking Europeans in
what would become the United States. At first
American literature was naturally a colonial
literature, by authors who were Englishmen
and who thought and wrote as such. John
Smith, a soldier of fortune, is credited with
initiating American literature. His chief books
included A True Relation of…Virginia…(1608)
and The Generall Historie of Virginia, New
England, and the Summer Isles (1624).
Although these volumes often glorified their
author, they were avowedly written to explain
colonizing opportunities to Englishmen. In time,
each colony was similarly described: Daniel
Denton’s Brief Description of New York (1670),
William Penn’s Brief Account of the Province of
Pennsylvania (1682), and Thomas Ashe’s
Carolina (1682) were only a few of many works
praising America as a land of economic
promise.
17th Century / /

This history of American literature begins with

the arrival of English-speaking Europeans in
what would become the United States. At first
American literature was naturally a colonial
literature, by authors who were Englishmen
and who thought and wrote as such. John
Smith, a soldier of fortune, is credited with
initiating American literature. His chief books
included A True Relation of…Virginia…(1608)
and The Generall Historie of Virginia, New
England, and the Summer Isles (1624).
Although these volumes often glorified their
author, they were avowedly written to explain
colonizing opportunities to Englishmen. In time,
each colony was similarly described: Daniel
Denton’s Brief Description of New York (1670),
William Penn’s Brief Account of the Province of
Pennsylvania (1682), and Thomas Ashe’s
Carolina (1682) were only a few of many works
praising America as a land of economic
promise.
18th Century / /

Some authors, like Cotton Mather, continued

the earlier customs in America in the early 18th
century. Magnalia Christi Americana, a massive
history and biography of Puritan New England
published in 1702, and his forceful Manuductio
ad Ministerium, or introduction to the ministry,
published in 1726, both served as defenses of
traditional Puritan beliefs. In his stirring
sermons and most notably in the philosophical
treatise Freedom of Will, Jonathan Edwards, the
founder of the Great Awakening, a religious
revival that shook the eastern seacoast for
many years, eloquently defended his burning
belief in Calvinistic doctrine—of the idea that
man, born totally depraved, could attain virtue
and salvation only through God's grace (1754).
He provided evidence for his assertions by
connecting them to a sophisticated
philosophical framework and by eloquently
arguing in concise and frequently beautiful
writing.
19th Century / /

American authors were encouraged to create

fully national literature following the American
Revolution and more so after the War of 1812.
Four extremely reputable authors suddenly
surfaced as if in reaction. Four writers—William
Cullen Bryant, Washington Irving, James
Fenimore Cooper, and Edgar Allan Poe—
started a significant literary revolution that
lasted for fifty years.
20th Century / /

The years leading up to, during, and following

World War I saw the emergence of significant
trends in theatre, poetry, fiction, and criticism.
The turbulent years that followed the war left
their mark on literature of all types. The range
of literary genres throughout this time was
astounding, and the top writers tended to use
bold technical innovations in their play, poetry,
and fiction.