COLONIAL PERIOD AND

PURITANICAL LITERATURE
JOHN SMITH "The General History of Virginia" 17th century
It contains the story of Smith's rescue by Pocahontas.
He hoped his narrative would attract more settlers to the "New World."
He exaggerated greatly.

Two great stones were brought before Powhatan: then as many as could laid
hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being
ready with their clubs, to beat out his brains, Pocahontas the king's dearest
daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head in her arms, and laid
her own upon his to save him from death: whereat the Emperor was
contented he should live.

WILLIAM BRADFORD "Of Plymouth Plantation"

He organized the first Thanksgiving Day celebration in NE.
It describes the Puritans' difficult relations with the Indians and
the hardships of the first winter, whem half of the small colony
died. It is written in a plain style, avoiding elegant language.

JOHN WINTHROP "A Model of Christian Charity"

A sermon, delievered aboard the Arabella.
It set out clearly and eloquently the ideals of a harmonious
Christian community and reminded all on board they would stand
as the example to the world - "City upon a Hill".

We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to
resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that
men shall say of succeeding plantations, "may the Lord make it like that of New
England." For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes
of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this
work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from
us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.
 Themes:
• inequality and love - inequality is to be embraced; people
must depend upon each other; brotherly love is the antidote
to the hardships of life
• posession and selflessness - humans are nothing without
God and everything on Earth is on loan from him; charitable
selflessness is the godliest life
• instinct, law, and scripture - though scripture, laws, and rules
have their place in Christianity, Christians should let their
natural inclinations to be loving and charitable guide their
behavior
The idea of "giving, lending, forgiving"

EDWARD TAYLOR
"Prologue" from Preparatory Meditations

• the dust that is on Earth (man) cannot outweigh the totality of

the grand mountains (superiority of God)
• Edward as a crumb of dust seeks God to guide him so that he
can show case his skills and give praise and glory to the
Almighty God.
"Upon a Spider Catching a Fly"
• allegory warning readers of the pitfalls of evil
• spider represents Satan and his schemes to entrap men in sin
• web epitomizes sin
• wasp is a symbol for a person whose faith is strong
• fly represents a person who lacks faith
• a man should avoid the pitfalls of sin because he may not be
strong enough to battle temptation and fall

"God's Determination"
• In the first part there is 17 questions: who created the world,
how it was made, how it is working, etc.
• It's like in the court - proving the case against atheists - who
else if not God?
• In the second part these questions are answered.
 "The Soul's Groan to Christ for Succour"

• asking God if he would have forgiveness for his sins

• sins are his inner demons
• his conscious recognizes his wrongdoings and although he can
fool himself into justifying his sins, he cannot do so to the Lord
• God is on top, human is on bottom
• Dreadful Enemy (Satan) compared to an angry dog
"Christ's Reply"

• Christ assures him his sins will never be too big to be covered
by Grace
• He reassures him that the devil is simply tool used to help him
draw closer to Him, devil has no power and he torments those
who are God's
• with God on his side he can do anything
• Christ behaves like a gentle, sensitive parent

JONATHAN EDWARDS "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

The advocate of predestination and Calvinism.
He implies that mankind is in grave danger of damnation.
God is fierce, He is a tyrant.
Sinners need to recognize they will be judged by God. This judgement
will be more fearful and painful than they can comprehend.
It is only God's choice that extends the "day of mercy".
Time is short for the unrepentant. God's wrath will come suddenly and
unexpectedly.

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a
spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you; You are
ten thousand times as abominable in his eyes as the most hateful,
venomous serpent is in ours. He looks upon you as worthy of
nothing else but to be cast into the bottomless gulf.
Thus it is, that natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit
of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced
to it. The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the
flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on
them, and swallow them up.
ANNE BRADSTREET
"To My Dear and Loving Husband"

• poem describes the passionate love between the speaker and

her husband
• their love will remain forever even in the afterlife
"Before the Birth of One of Her Children"

• a narrator is a pregnant woman who is considering the possible

outcomes of her pregnancy
• negative consequences of childbirth
• a goodbye to her husband
• acceptance of death
• she wants her husband to remember her for as long as he can

"Verses upon the Burning of Our House"

• she wrote this poem after her house burned down

• loss, sorrow, material wealth
• the speaker turns to God
• she trusts God, she commits herself to value what she has
spiritually
• she looks forward her future home in the sky alongside Christ
 THE AGE OF REASON;
REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY
NATIONAL PERIOD
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN "Autobiography" 18th century

It is the epitome of Franklin's spirit. He was very strict, he liked order,

he meticulously planned his days.
He wrote a list of 13 virtues that he wanted to master throughout the
day - he valued self-improvement.

THOMAS JEFFERSON "The Declaration of Independence"

It is a clear and logical statement of why America wanted its
independence.
All men are created equal and there are certain rights that
governments should never violate: the right to live, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.

WASHINGTON IRVING "Rip Van Winkle"

• story set over the course of 20 years - starts before the
Revolutionary War when the US didn't exist and develops when
the war ended - Rip slept through it
• tyranny vs freedom - tyranny of marriage (Dame Van Winkle),
tyranny of day-to-day responsibilities, tyranny of the British
monarchy - how can we maintain our freedom?
• active vs passive resistance - Rip loves his freedom but doesn't
fight for it, he avoids his responsibilities; he becomes a free citizen
of the US by napping peacefully through the American Revolution
• change vs stasis - Rip wakes up to find America changed - the
town is bigger, his wife is dead, his children are grown, he has a
grandson, the US is now a free nation - but Rip Van Winkle stays
the same, he lives the way he did before
• Rip labors without profit; he is happy to help in gardens and farms
that are not his own
• nostalgia for the old times and a gentle critique of the new
Symbols:

• The Catskill Mountains - mysterious, magical, supernatural

forces of change that affect human life
• The Inn & Union Hotel - The Inn stands for laziness and
unproductive lives. The Union Hotel represents the new values,
political engagement and money making.
 THE 19TH CENTURY GOTHIC
FICTION
EDGAR ALLAN POE
Gothic literature and horror fiction use unreliable narrators to increase
suspense by making readers less able to count on someone to guide them
through the story.

"The Fall of the House of Usher"

• tale of mystery and horror
• an allegory of the human mind represented by the house -
different levels of the house (the cellar, the library, the front, the
attic) correspond to a disintegrating mind and its dark, hidden
secrets
• the theme of doppelgängers, doubling is key to the tension in
the story
• Madeline Usher is the embodiment of illness, doctors don't
know what's up with her
• eyes are the window to the soul (eye-like windows of the House
of Usher; at first Roderick's eyes are luminous but after
Madeline dies the light goes out in his eyes)
• the living Ushers are the House of Usher and vice versa - they
are unified
• weather sets a personifying stage for this haunted house
narrative, it reflects a spiritual turmoil of the characters
• sanity vs insanity
• fantasy vs reality
• fear controls Roderick's reality; fear spreads like a disease
• people have the power to create negativity situations through
their fear of them
"Ligeia"
• unnamed narrator with opium addiction
• spooky setting
• psychological torment
• does the narrator really see what he sees or is he hallucinating?
"The Raven"
• the speaker mourns the loss of his beloved Lenore
• the Raven says only one word: nevermore that the speaker
interprets in different ways to answer his own questions; the
mere presence of the bird leads the speaker to surrender to his
overwhelming thoughts
• Lenore's memory drives the speaker mad
• the Raven is a symbolic messenger from the afterlife on behalf
of his lost love; it also symbolizes the unconscious or the
unknownable
• the speaker's rational mind is overshadowed by his emotional
state
• madness and despair
• death and the afterlife- is death the end? or will he be reunited
with Lenore in the afterlife?
• the power of the dead over the living
• poetry should not be didactic
 THE "AMERICAN RENAISSANCE"
TRANSCENDENTALISM

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

"Nature"
• it is possible to notice similarities between spiritual (subjective)
world and natural (objective) world - to see the soul in nature
and to ser nature in the mind
• nature helps people think and understand
• nature provides people with practical ideas and gives clues
about human destiny and the larger meaning of human life
• nature as a transcendental equivalent of God (deism)

"American Scholar"

• presenting answers to the question of how to make philosophy

in the American way and to break away from European
dominance in intellectual tradition
• the American scholar is a "man thinking" for himself; an
individual's mind can be realized in contact with nature, books
• the attack on the influence of tradition and the past

"Self-Reliance"

• the application of Transcendentalism in everyday life

• recommending nonconformity, independent judgement,
optimistic faith in an individual's ability to understand the world
• belief in the unity of inner life and outer world
HENRY DAVID THOREAU "Resistance to Civil Government"

It espouses the need to prioritize one's conscience over the

dictates of laws.
It criticizes American social institutions and policies - slavery and
the Mexican-American war.
 THE "AMERICAN RENAISSANCE"
ROMANTIC REVISIONS OF
PURITANISM AND 19TH CENTURY
EXISTENTIALISM
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE "The Scarlet Letter"
It is an allegory of sin and redemption set in 17th century Salem.
Themes:
• uselessness of hiding guilt in order to avoid punishment
• is the act of Hester and her lover really sinful? no answer given
• by the end of the novel Hester's A seems to symbolize the
sinfulness of all people

Hester Prynne - rhymes with sin

Arthur Dimmesdale - always in the shadow; hiding something
Pearl - treasure, a great price, the flesh embodiment of the letter A
Roger Chillingworth - icy, frozen heart, manifestation of evil

Symbols:
• prison door - punishment and cruel harshness
• the rose bush - Hester's beauty, wildness and ability to survive
• the scarlet letter A - adultery (mark of Hester's sin); by the end
of the book it changes into a badge of honor; also stands for
able and angel
• the color red - sin, love, passion
• the scaffold - guilt, public confession, punishment

Sin & guilt: Chillingworth's sin is the worst of all because it was
born out of malice and he felt no guilt for seeking revenge.
Personal & public truth: Dimmesdale vs Hester
HERMAN MELVILLE "Moby Dick"

The main plot: captain Ahab's chase for Moby Dick, the white
whale, on board The Pequod
Ahab - the central character is "a grand, ungodly, God-like man".
He is torn between his humanity and his desire to destroy the white
whale. When Ahab finds the whale and attacks him his ship is
destroyed. Ahab himself is pulled down into the seato his death,
along his crew (except for the narrator Ishmael)

Two levels of interpretation:

1. A realistic novel about whale-hunting. Melville's style combines

simple, colloquial English with poetic intensity derived from the
Bible and Shakespeare.
2. An allegory exceeding in complexity of its ambiguous images
and meanings.
Symbolism:
• the whale stands for everything that is powerful and inhuman;
nature's cruelty and mystery; inescapable fate
• Captain Ahab's fateful decision to chase Moby Dick is a
symbol of human efforts to understand and rebel against
inhuman forces that govern our lives
• Ahab's final defeat seems to show that personal identity is only
an illusion if built solely on the belief in one's self-reliance
• the sea vs the land - the sea stands for everything open,
boundless, indefinite, danger, freedom, chaos (embodiment of
God); the land stands for everything definite, limited, solid,
bounded (representation of safety and illusion of stability)
• whiteness of the whale is a symbol of God
• heroic nihilism
 POETRY OF MID 19TH CENTURY
WALT WHITMAN

"Leaves of Grass"

• free verse: long lines, frequent use of colloquial phrases

• theme: the life, power, potential of the mass of ordinary people
• reality seen as continuous flow without a beginning or an end -
stream of consciousness
• praising all aspects of ordinary life including sex and violence
• the poetic "I" is a representative of the entire nation
"Song of Myself"

• he is a representative of the entire nation

• the "I" knows all walks of life, works in all sorts of professions,
sees peace and war, city and country life, experiences joy and
suffering, is both a man and a woman - the "I" is America

EMILY DICKINSON

Pervading themes:

• search for faith - existential tone in her poems

• immortality and the nature of death
Her poetry is characterized by inwardness, restrained style,
universal themes (nature, death, tragic vision of existence, doubt

49 loss
112 we appreciate success only when we lose; those who fall
appreciate success the most
202 she gives privilege to reason instead of God
241 agony is genuine, it is impossible to pretend
467 death does not mean the end
 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN SLAVE
NARRATIVES AND AMERICAN
(PRAGMATIC) REALISM
HARRIET ANN JACOBS "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
She highlights the unique cruelties of slavery experienced by
women, including sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence.
She used a pseudonym Linda Brent.

MARK TWAIN "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

A story about a poor boy brutalized by his drinking father and forced to
make serious decisions early in his life.
The story of Finn's escape down the Mississippi River is composed of
loosely related episodes, which are alternatively drastic and humorous:
racial violence, a family feud, adventures of swindlers and con artists,
lynching mobs chasing for Blacks, flooding, shipping disasters etc.

The mixture is morally and emotionally ambiguous.

Symbolic framework: Finn and Jim escaping down the Mississippi- symbol
of life in general
First-person narration by Huckleberry Finn who observes the world like a
child, simultaneously naively and shrewdly.
The novel narrated entirely in dialect.
Symbols:
• the raft - freedom from the rules of society
• the Mississippi River - ultimate escape; freedom
• Jim - humanity and goodness in face of generally accepted unjust
institutions
It is a coming-of-age journey filled with empathy. It's full of racism, cruelty
and hypocrisy.
HENRY JAMES "The Portrait of a Lady"

A story of a young, bright American girl who goes to Europe to explore

life. After many good offers of marriage, she chooses the wrong man.
The moment of realization depicts her inner consciousness.
Drama is not created by Isabel Archer's actions but by the thoughts in her
mind.
There is a clash between innocence and the corrupted world.
Psychological motivation of characters is well depicted there.
An idealistic pursuit of happiness.
 REGIONALISM AND AMERICAN
NATURALISM
KATE CHOPIN
"The Awakening"

A developmental novel about a woman's quest for an independent life

and an identity which would not be imposed by other people.
Edna Pontellier progresses through love, maternity, artistic pursuits,
work, as things that would giver her a meaning in life bit she realizes
those are only roles she does not want to play.
Edna finds herself conflicted with the expectations of society while she
tries to discover herself. A married woman should sacrifice herself for
her husband and children. She doesn't want to do it. She wants to be
independent and doesn't want to be anyone's possession.
The overall theme of the novel is the struggle to liberate oneself from the
social expectations that prevent one from achieving their full potential.
Solitude is a consequence of independence.
Characters: Edna Pontellier, Leonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun,
Mademoiselle Reisz, Alcee Arobin, Adele Ratingolle
Madame Ratingolle is an ideal wife and mother, while Madmoiselle Reisz
is an artist who rejects societal norms.
The sea represents Edna's awakening, her independent and sexual self.
It also represents freedom.
Birds represent women, caged and broken by the limitations society
places on them.
Edna wants love, her heart seeks it, but she also wants to be
independent.
The theme of spiritual awakening.
 "The Storm"
5 characters: Bobinot (husband), Bibi (child), Calixta, Alcee (lover),
Clarissa (Alcee's wife)
The storm parallels Calixta and Alcee passion and affair. Like a
thunderstorm, Chopin suggests that their affair is intense but also
potentially destructive and passing.

Happy ending.

CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN "The Yellow Wallpaper"

A story about a woman subjected to the so-called rest cure by her
husband - solitary confinement and forced rest in bed. The protagonist
becomes mad after several days of this treatment.

First person narration - a terrible record of disintegrating personality

Characters: unnamed woman (she has nervous condition), John

(controls the Narrator), Jennie (John's sister, the couple's caretaker)

Yellow Wallpaper symbolizes the Narrator's confinement and social

limitations of women in general.

Conformity vs expression - Narrator vs John

Mental illness

JACK LONDON "To Build a Fire"

The laws of nature govern everything and everybody inside or outside
society. Sometimes people are defeated by these laws as happens here.
Themes: struggle for survival, instinct, pride, man vs nature
Unnamed character without imagination. The dog has a greater
instinctive understanding of the situation (represents animal instinct).
The dog is not loyal to the man but follows him out of necessity.
Fire is a symbol of survival and life itself.
The man represents an aspect of humanity that has completely lost its
connection with nature and inner instincts. A dog is a bridge between
humans and nature.
 THE JAZZ AGE AND THE
LOST GENERATION
F. S. FITZGERALD "The Great Gatsby"
It represents Jazz Age, The Roaring Twenties.
Characters: Nick Carraway, Daisy, Jay Gatsby, Tom
Valley of Ashes represents the disconnect between the poor and the
rich.
The green light symbolizes the power of our dreams.

Gatsby's existence personifies superficiality- he changed his name and

fabricated his past. He throws lavish parties. at the core Gatsby is
motivated by his love for Daisy. He seeks power and money to be
accepted among the wealthy and deserving of her love.

American Dream - Gatsby's chasing a love he has idealized beyond

realistic boundaries.
American Dream cannot be fully attained because those who believe in it
are constantly striving to improve themselves. If people become so
involved in materialistic things, they are not guaranteed happiness.
Infinite success is not possible.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"

Simple, abrupt, quick sentences; lack of space for extra interpretation.

Life is meaningless. Life is nothing. It is up to us to find a meaning

(existentialism as opposed to essentialism). The cafe has a meaning.
The cafe has a meaning. The light symbolizes hope, comfort, and the
company of others. The cleanliness means order.
Old waiter is afraid of loneliness.
The Lord's Prayer - no objective truth, there is no one to refer to. The
prayer is not hopeful. He doesn't find the meaning in these words.
Nada - the loss of hope, inability to become active in life; desire for sleep
 LITERATURE OF THE SOUTH
W. FAULKNER "A Rose for Emily"

Unnamed narrator - collective narrator - inhabitants of the town

The house and Emily represent old traditions.
Emily was like a monument to the past.
Emily doesn't have to pay taxes (thanks to Colonel Sartoris who is now
dead), but 40 years later under new government she receives a tax bill.
Two days after her dad's father neighbors complain about a horrible
smell coming form her property. They spread lime to neutralize the odor.

Emily meets Homer Barron, they go out on rides every Sunday.

Emily purchases arsenic from the drugstore - everyone is convinced she
is going to kill herself.
She purchases a men's toilet kit, a suit and a nightshirt which the people
interpret as a sign she and Home are finally married but Homer is
nowhere to be seen.
After years she passes away and the townspeople discover her
bedroom to be decorated like a bridal suite with decomposed body of
Barron on the bed. There is a single strand of long grey hair on the pillow
beside him, meaning Emily was sleeping with him.

Gray hair symbolizes a passing of time.

Tradition vs progress - citizens of Jefferson divide into older generation
(traditions) and the younger generation (progress)
Rose represents the idea of love, the love she never received and the
flowers she never got.
FLANNERY O'CONNOR
"A Good Man Is Hard to Find"

Grandmother claims to believe in Jesus and prides herself on being a

lady but she's actually shallow, selfish and judgmental.
The Misfit is a violet killer yet he speaks and acts thoughtfully.
Grandmother gains grace through the Misfit.
Grandmother's Hat symbolizes her selfish nature.
The Misfit's Automobile is a symbol of death.
Savagery wins out over gentility and civilized behavior.

There is no good man in the story, everyone has flaws.

"Good Country People"

Hypocrisy. Every character believes they have the moral ground.

Characters: Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell, Mrs. Freeman, The Bible Salesman

Appearances vs realities - the way characters present themselves is

usually the very opposite of who they are.

The artificial leg represents Hulga's vulnerability. It represents her soul.

CARSON MCCULLERS "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe"

Characters: Amelia, Lymon, Marvin Macy

Love, revenge.
 MODERNIST POETRY; THE BEATS
ROBERT FROST
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

• literal description of the forest and snow - delight - peacefulness,

calmness
• he is tempted by death but knows he has to take a road ahead of him,
he has to live, it's no time for rest - wisdom

"The Road Not Taken"

• description of beautiful forest - delight
• dilemma - what should he choose in life?
• road the less travelled by is harder, but it is more rewarding
• reference to Jesus as he propose to take narrow and steep road as it
leads to Heaven, broad road is full of damnation
• the speaker doesn't know if he chose well

EZRA POUND "In a Station of the Metro"

• imagist poetry - precise descriptions, economy of language

• the faces of the individuals are blurred

AMY LOWELL "Patterns"

• imagist poetry - precise descriptions, economy of language
• she lost her man in a war
• she's not happy about it but she has to exist
• absurdity of war - he died for someone he didn't even know and
she is there left alone without love

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

• poem about plums - plums are a source of enjoyment
• poem about death - he observed people dying his whole life; death is
a mystery; the soul remains, it escapes the body but it goes
somewhere; there is no complete death
E. E. CUMMINGS
• meaning changes depending on how you read it

GERTRUDE STEIN

• words lose their original meaning

• use of continuous present, repetition

ALLEN GINSBERG "Howl"

• American chaos reflected

• it is directed against American militarism, oppressive conformism,
consumerism, injustice