sherlie - colonial literary culture(1)

8/2/2019 Sherlie - Colonial Literary Culture(1)

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13 COLONIES(1607-1732)

New England(North) :

1. New

Hampshire2. Massachus

etts

(Boston)3. Rhode

Island

4. Connecticu


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COLONISTS

1607 first colony in Jamestown, Virginia(John Smith and John Rolfe) 1621 Pilgrim fathers in Plymouth,

Massachusetts. 1630 the big colony established in

Massachusetts Bayby Puritan. 1636 Pilgrim and Puritan would make

the best country, so they made RhodeIsland

1672 Georgia, the last colony is made


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We will discuss

School and colleges Books

Libraries Press Newspaper

Freedom expression Public discussion

In colonial era


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Literary Background

The Protestant communities which sprangup in Virginia, New England, andelsewhere in America were much like

country towns and villages of England.

It is hard when polite literature bloomed in

American woods.


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Puritans and Quakers

Against many form of imaginativeliterature

Puritans emphasized Biblical andtheological learning.

Quakers stressed practical studies whichserved for the relief of mans estate.


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Development of SCHOOL

American colonist showed a deepconcern lest their children grow up

barbarousin the wilderness. This concern was equally great in NewEngland and in Virginia, though the

methods of meeting the danger varied with

differing conditions.


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School in North (New England)

In New Englandvillagers quickly set upschool for theirchildren,

the Puritanfatherin 1636established Harvard

College to insurelearned ministry andprovide a nursery oflearning for their son.


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School in South (Virginia)

In Virginia the wealthierplanters hired tutor, and theless well-to-do organizedplantation school and shared

the expense of teacher. In 1693 Virginians

established the college ofWilliam and Mary from then

same motives that hadprompted the founders ofHarvard.


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School in Middle (Pennsylvania)

In 1760 some cities, particularlyBoston and Philadelphia, hadexcellent grammar schools.

Belles-letterhad small place informal education in this period;but classical rhetoric and theprose and poetry of Greece

and Rome exerted a profoundinfluence in the development ofa literary consciousness.


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GRAMMAR SCHOOL


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Book-seller

17th century: inventories show a widedispersion ofbooks throughout the colonies. Before the end 17th century: Boston had a lot

ofbook-sellers.

One of the earliest of these was HezekiahUsher. Peddlers often carried books and pamphlets in

their packs.

In tobacco colonies (Southern Colonies) theyrequest books throughout letters to marchantsin London or Bristol because booksellerunknown before.


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BOOKS 17th and 18th century

Books imported forcolonistspurpose

Select the useful, and designedforentertainment or

amusement known : picaresque narratives,

jest book, ballads, and other literaryfrivolities

useful books wascharacteristic ofVirginiaPlanters and New EnglandPuritans


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New England andSouthern have

similarities in literarytaste Widest circulation of

book before 1760 religious andpious

read by: Calvinistin the North andAnglicans in theSouth. Preacher and laymen


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Religious book

LewisBayly


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Historical Works Classical and

modern From Greekand

Roman historydrew lesson ofancient world

Favorite Author:TACITUS

Books at that

time: RaleighsHistory of the

world, Bishop


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Useful books Books of

conduct Instruction in

domestic

relations Political

treatises

Legaldiscussion

Handbook foramateur and

rofessional


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Writers Most influential writers in 18th century

Joseph Addison and Richard Steele


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Spectator (AboutMoral and social

lesson)

Li


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Literatureincrease

End 17th century dramaand poetry and belles-lettersincreased

The works Spensers

Faerie Queene and MiltonsParadise Lost

Poetical works of GeorgeHerbert, Francis Quarles, and

Abraham Cowley Shakespeares play was

found (mid 18th) Bookseller has discovered


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Drama


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LIBRARIES 17th century most library gathered

for immediate using to their owners End 17th begun for collecting book

in almost a professional sense. Early 18th Cotton Matherin

Massachusetts and William Byrd inVirginia gathered substantial library(thousand volumes)

1751 James Logan in Philadelphia

gathered library (3000 volumes) Many other private library were gathered

and helped in the distributing oflearning


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Library in colleges

Establish animportance andusefulness library incollege at

Cambridge fromJohn Harvardsbook collection.

Mid 18th Yalehave library

And come afterward

the other colleges


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The Development ofPublic and Semipublic

LibrariesPublic and semipublic libraries began to develop in the

17th century

1653: by Robert Keayne in Boston

1700: by Reverend John Sharpe in New York

New York Society Library

1742: by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia

Library Company of Philadelphia

1747: by Abraham Redwood in Newport, RhodeIsland Redwood Library

1748: by 17 young gentlemen in South Carolina

Carleston Library Society


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The Development of Press inSouth Colonies

In 1682William Nuthead attempted to establish apress at Jamestown, Virginia. But he soonbecame involved with the authorities, and hisefforts were suppressed by order of governor.

1685he transferred his activities to the proprietarycolony ofMaryland. in 1730William Park came over from Maryland to

Williamsburg and set up a print shop. 1731: 3 printers working in Charleston, South

Carolina 1763: printers established in 13 colonies


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PRESS/printer IN 17TH century


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Development ofnewspaper

After the beginning of18th centurynearly every printerwant to be proprietor(owner) of a newspaper, for newspaperpublishing.

1st newspaper On September 25,1690, in Boston was Benjamin HarrisPublic Occurrences. (disallowed)

Then in 1704 John Campbell founded theNews-Letter, which lasted until therevolution


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1735Boston alone had fivenewspapers, and othercities of the Atlanticseaboard were not farbehind.

1750 the colonies were well

provided with newspapers,published weekly and insome cases oftener.


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Many of the early papers were partlyliterary in content.Ex: James Franklin > New England

Courant(Mingled poems andhumorous)

Thats journal to be entertaining, amusing and instructive.

CONT......


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Founded in Boston onAugust 7, 1721

One of the oldest andthe first truly

independent Americannewspaper.

It was the first

American newspaper touse literary content and

humorous essays.


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AmericanLiterariness

Newspaper:

The Boston Evening-Post

(August 18, 1735 -April 24, 1775)

The Virginia Gazette(1736 and 1780)

The South CarolinaGazette (1732)

F i L


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Foreign-LanguageNewspaper

Christoper Sowerand Heinrich

Milleris the two achieved successforeign language papers in that era.(German language)

Religious in sentiment, atGermantown and Philadelphiarespectively.


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The Freedom of Expression(1734-1735)

The freedom expression in thecolonies made by John Peter Zenger.

New York Weekly Journal,against the persecution by the

governors party.John Peter made a great stir in all thecolonies to defend liberty of speech and

press.


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Pulpit Forum

In 17th Century, a forum forlearned exposition on religion,

ethics, sociology, science,politics and any phase of the

life of man.

Century


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Centuryin 1703, a professional actors performin the colonies presented in

Charleston.in 1731, George Lillos presentedsentimental drama, serially in the New-

England Weekly Journal.(recommended readers on the groundthat it tended to promote virtue andpiety.

>>But the whole theater was late indevelopment, and its influence was

relatively unimportant in that period.


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Informal Clubs and Discussion

Groups helped to foster literaryas well as scientific interest.


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Conclusion

Although the colonial contribution wassmall, these busy settlers salvaged

time for intellectual interest attachedgreat importance to schools, books,libraries, and other influences aboveand beyond material considerations.

Literary capacity was laid in the periodbefore 1760.

sherlie - colonial literary culture(1)

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