History of American Literature. Reuben Post Halleck
Allen's Life of Jonathan Edwards.
Gardiner's Jonathan Edwards, a Retrospect.
SUGGESTED READINGS
The following volumes of selections from American Literature will be referred to either by the last name of the author, or, if there are more authors than one, by the initials of the last names:—
Cairns's Selections from Early American Writers, 1607–1800. (Macmillan.)
Trent and Wells's Colonial Prose and Poetry, 3 vols., 1607–1775. (Crowell.)
Stedman and Hutchinson's A Library of American Literature, 1608–1890, 11 vols. (Benjamin.)
Carpenter's American Prose Selections. (Macmillan.)
Trent's Southern Writers: Selections in Prose and Verse. (Macmillan.)
At least one of the selections indicated for each author should be read.
JOHN SMITH.—The Beginnings of Jamestown (from A True Relation of Virginia, 1608); The Religious Observances of the Indians (from A Map of Virginia, published in 1612), Cairns, pp. 2–4, 10–14; The Romance of Pocahontas (from The General History of Virginia, 1624), S. & H., Vol. I., pp. 10–17; T. & W., Vol. I., pp. 12–22.
WILLIAM STRACHEY.—Read the selection from A True Repertory of the Wrack and Redemption of Sir Thomas Gates, in Cairns, 19–26.
POETRY IN THE VIRGINIA COLONY.—For George Sandys, see pp. 51–58 in Vol. I. of Tyler's A History of American Literature during the Colonial Time.
For the elegy on the death of Nathaniel Bacon, see Tyler, Vol. I., 78, 79;
Cairns, 185–188; T. & W., II., 166–169; S. & H., I., 456–458; Trent, 12–14.
DESCRIPTIONS OF VIRGINIA.—The best selection from Beverly's History and Present State of Virginia may be found in T. & W., II., 354–360. See also Trent, 16–18; S. & H., II., 270–272.
For selections from Byrd's History of the Dividing Line, see Cairns, passim, 259–272; Trent, 19–22; T. & W., III., 23–32; S. & H., II., 302–305.
WILLIAM BRADFORD.—The Voyage of the Mayflower, Cairns, 31–35; Early
Difficulties of the Pilgrim Fathers, T. & W., I., 42–45; The Communal
System Abandoned, T. & W., I., 46–49; The Landing of the Pilgrims and their
Settlement at Plymouth, S. & H., L, 124–130.
JOHN WINTHROP.—Twenty-five entries from his Journal or History of New England are given in Cairns, 44–48, and fourteen in T. & W., I., 99–105.
His famous speech on Liberty may be found in T. & W., I., 106–116; in S. & H., I., 302–303; and in Cairns, 50–53.
EARLY NEW ENGLAND VERSE.—The selection in the text (p. 38) from the Bay Psalm Book is sufficient.
For Wigglesworth's Day of Doom, see Cairns, 166–177; T. & W., II., 54–60; S. & H., passim, II., 3–16.
Anne Bradstreet's best poem, Contemplations, may be found in Cairns, 154–162; T. & W., I., 280–283; S. & H., I., 314, 315.
WARD'S SIMPLE COBBLER OF AGAWAM.—His view of religious toleration is given in Cairns, 113–118, and T. & W., I., 253–259. For the satiric essay on women's fashions, see Cairns, 119–124; T. & W., I., 260–266; S. & H. I., 276–280.
SAMUEL SEWALL.—Cairns, 240–243, gives from the Diary the events of a month. Notes on the Witchcraft Persecution and his prayer of repentance for "the blame and shame of it" may be found in T. & W., II., 294–296. The record of his courtship of Madam Winthrop is given in Cairns, 245–249; T. & W., II., 304–319; and S. & H., II., 192–200. For his early anti-slavery tract, see T. & W., II., 320–326; S. & H., II., 189–192.
COTTON MATHER.—His fantastic life of Mr. Ralph Partridge from the Magnalia is given in Cairns, 228, 229. The interesting story of the New England argonaut, Sir William Phips, may be found in T. & W., II., 257–266, and in S. & H., II., 143–149. One of his best biographies is that of Thomas Hooker, S. & H., II., 149–156.
JONATHAN EDWARDS.—For a specimen of an almost poetic exposition of the divine love, read the selection in Cairns, 280, 281; T. & W., III., 148, 149; S. & H., II., 374; and Carpenter, 16, 17, beginning, "I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the valleys." Selections from his Freedom of the Will are given in Cairns. 291–294; T. & W., III., 185–187; and S. & H., II., 404–407 (the best).
QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Is Captain John Smith more remarkable for chronicling what passed before his senses or for explaining what he saw? How does his account of the Indians (p. 18 of this text) compare with modern accounts? Is he apparently a novice, or somewhat skilled in writing prose? Does he seem to you to be a romancer or a narrator of a plain unvarnished tale?
Compare Strachey's storm at sea with Act I. of Shakespeare's Tempest. In what part of this Act and under what circumstances does he mention "the still-vex'd Bermoothes"?
Compare the ability of the three great early colonizers, Smith, Bradford, and Winthrop, in writing narrative prose. Smith's story of Pocahontas is easily accessible. Those who can find the complete works of Bradford and Winthrop may select from Bradford for comparison his story of Squanto, the Pilgrims' tame Indian. Winthrop's Journal contains many specimens of brief narrative, such as the story of the voyage across the Atlantic from March 29 to June 14, 1630; of Winthrop's losing himself in the wood, October 11, 1631; of shipwreck on the Isle of Shoals, August 16, 1635; of an indentured servant, March 8, 1636; of an adventure with Indians, July 20–30, August 24, and October 8, 1636. Those without opportunity to consult the works of Bradford and Winthrop will find in the books of selections sufficient material for comparison.
Is brevity or prolixity a quality of these early narrators? What English prose written before 1640 is superior to the work of these three men? Why is it especially important for Americans to know something of their writings? What advance in prose narrative do you find in Beverly and Byrd?
What characteristic of a famous English prose writer of the nineteenth century is noticeable in Ward's essay on fashions?
Why could fine poetry not be reasonably expected in early Virginia and New
England? What are some of the Calvinistic tenets expounded in
Wigglesworth's Day of Doom? Choose the best two short selections of colonial poetry.
What are some of the qualifications of a good diarist? Which of these do you find in the Diary of Samuel Sewall?
Point out some of the fantastic prose expressions of Cotton Mather. Compare his narrative of Captain Phips with the work of Smith, Bradford, and Winthrop, on the one hand, and of Beverly and Byrd, on the other.
Compare the theology in Edwards's "Rose of Sharon" selection (p. 54) with that in Wigglesworth's Day of Doom. Why may this selection from Edwards be called a "poetic exposition of the divine love"? What is his view of the freedom of the will?
CHAPTER II
THE EMERGENCE OF A NATION
PROGRESS TOWARD NATIONALITY.—The French and Indian War, which began in 1754, served its purpose in making the colonists feel that they were one people. At this time most of them were