American Literature CLEP Study Guide

Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca --From Spain. He wrote, "Naufragios," which is Shipwrecks in 1542. Spanish conquistador that was shipwrecked and lost his crew off of the south of Florida. Vaca lived with the indians and became a shawman. Samuel de Champlain --Pioneer to the "New France". Des Sauvages: The voyage of Samuel Champlain Thomas Harriot --He was a British astronomer and mathematician. A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, Learned Indian Language The Colonial Period --. Common writing about the captivity narrative, some spiritual autobiographies. Cervantes's Don Quixote as the first novel written The Pilgrims --16th Century Henry VIII of England split from the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England are the separatist. William Bradford led the Pilgrims toward Virginia Puritains --Didn't want to separate entirely from the Church of England John Winthrop --Led the Great Migration, Massachussets Bay Colony, "A Modell of Christian Charity" set the religious ideas of the new colony. He was aware the world would be watching their "model" of a City upon a hill John Smith --English Explorer. Leader of the Virigina Colony, named New England. Wrote The General History of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles 1624. Pocahontas. William Bradford --led the Pilgrims to Plymouth, first governor,• Helped establish the Mayflower Compact, their protectionist treatise that established the protection of individuals rights.He wrote Of Plimoth Plantation (pub. in 1856) Written in plain style, his style is purposefully accessible in common language to a large readership. It tells of the Pilgrims arrival, their hardships and survival, giving constant thanks to God Anne Bradstreet --Poetry of spiritual reflection. Themes of religious nature and portraits of colonial life. The Tenth Muse is her only volume of poetry (1650, published in England). The first published book of poetry of the English colonies. Poems about gender issues, poems to her children and husband, poems about God and existence. Michael Wigglesworth --He wrote The Day of Doom (1660), a long, best-selling Puritan poem about the Last Judgment It goes into detail on the different categories of people that will be judged. It's the longest poem of the Colonial Period, with 224 stanzas Mary Rowlandson --Most known for her captivity narrative (a common genre of the times) about her time under duress by the Wampanoag Indians. King's Phillips War. She was taken prisoner in 1626 for 11 weeks. She was taken from her home after one of her children was killed, she enslaved for a time, and was eventually released. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson. dichotomy between her bitter criticism of the Native Americans and her appreciation and reverence to God. Captivity novels. Most popular novel of 17th century Edward Taylor --A Puritan poet who studied at Harvard then preacher in Westfield, Massachusetts.Preparatory Meditations before communicions Cotton Mather --400 works, but his most famous is the Magnalia Christi Americana, a super-long, seven-volume nostalgic work of the history of New England in a Christian context, how God helped people become civilized in the New World. Speaks of Bradford and Winthrop. He represents the old order of Puritan preachers, like his father. Ideas were ahead of his time. Promoted mental as well as the physical state of health Jonathan Edwards --A Puritan preacher of great repute and fire. He was influenced by the Enlightenment. Worked in Northampton, Massachusetts as a preacher, replacing his grandfather. Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s, which strived to resuscitate American spiritual values. He published many of his sermons. His most famous is "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in 1741:• Poetic language and imagery. Sense of urgency. God has a negative view on mankind. Novel:Personal Narrative Genres in the New World --Explorers chronicles, Poetry, The captivity novel, The sermon, spiritual autobiography Early National World --Work of this phase in history was influenced by the Age of Enlightenment. Enlightment --Western culture in which the power of reason and objective thought influenced political, religious and institutional beliefs. General thought moved away from a strict adherence to the Bible and Puritan thought. General thought moved away from a strict adherence to the Bible, and many influential thinkers considered themselves Deists. Prominent Deists --Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Beliefs that God created the world but has since been detached from it, which has let humans create their own path in life. rejected supernaturalism and relied on reason, evidence and natural phenomena to explain the existence of God and themselves Cadwallader Colden --Lieutenant governor of the state of New York, physician, scientist. He wrote on botany and science. Had a long-time epistolary relationship with Benjamin Franklin. The History of the Five Indian Nations (1727) Benjamin Franklin --Printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, diplomat, author, etc. Influenced by the Enlightenment. His perspective of the self is more worldly and non-deterministic, and happiness can be found here and now in the autonomy of human rationale and reason.The Way to Wealth: It's a collection of work that was published in Poor Richard's Almanac over the course of many years. Benjamin Franklin Autobiography --In regard to his contribution to letters, his autobiography is one of the most popular ones in America. Written in 1771, 1783 and 1788. the first part talks about his youth and "errors" of youth. Striving for "moral perfection" (silence, frugality, chastity, humilityand moderation are just a few of them). It only covers until 1757 because he passed before he finished it