The literature of America has undergone radical change since it’s beginnings with the puritan tradition. This rapid development has essentially been driven by a “desire” for a new literary “expression of American identity” and “artistic independence” from Europe, which was the center of world power and culture in the nineteenth century . In 1837, Emerson demanded that an end be put to America’s dependence on and “long apprenticeship to the learning of other lands” and encouraged his contemporaries to think with their own minds . In order to truly understand the spirit of a nation, one must look to its artists writers and philosopher, especially those of reputation and influence within the nation itself . The works of Walt Whitman and Louisa May Alcott were heavily influenced by the changing atmosphere of the nineteenth century with its new emphasis on self and society .
Religion ruled their lives and writings. American Puritanism is one of the most lasting significant influences in American thought and literature. The puritans emphasize hard work, piety and sobriety; and the earliest writings include diaries, travelling books, journals, letters, sermons and even government contracts. The two key figures of the puritan period are Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) the first published American poet and Edward Taylor (1645-1729) considered to be the finest Puritan Poet and known for the series of short preparatory
A Revolutionary Era A famous self-help author, Napoleon Hill, once said “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” This statement is certainly true of Americans who lived during the years of 1800-1870’s who experienced rebirth and development. For example, the Nation’s capital had been moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. In addition, Americans founded the first cultural institution. These two things helped the nation grow immensely (“A Growing Nation…” 210). An important author living during this era was Edgar Allan Poe, because he wrote the first horror and detective stories.
It is also worth to notice that John Hawthorne, one of the Salem Witch Trial Judges, was his great grandfather (Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography). Since Salem was his hometown, he developed his writing through the gospel of American Puritanism and intend to spread those principles through his literature which also gives the focus of his literature. Hawthorne’s writing style was unique and was well-regarded for several reasons. First of all, Hawthorne induces readers to use their own imagination to interpret the meaning of the tale, as it is evident in “The Minister’s Black Veil”. Moreover, he likes to present multi-fold and multi-perspective of a character.
Following this, this essay will examine the general reception of More’s Utopia in society, the effects of genre upon this interpretation and the meaning this had upon society. Finally, this essay will once again examine Bacon’s New Atlantis under these same headings in an attempt to compare and contrast these two texts in order to display a subjective view of the role of genre and how the use of specific genres can change a reader’s perception of texts. Sir Thomas More is often regarded as one of the most brilliant, compelling and disturbing figures of the English Renaissance. More Published what is arguably one of his most famous pieces of work Utopia in 1516. This book was received by communists as a forerunner of their plan to abolish private property while giving greater amenities to the middle class such as free public education, careers open to talents and freedom of thought (Reidhead,569).
A Brief Analysis on Satan in Paradise Lost The Bible is one of the classical works in western literary circle even in world literary circle, so does Paradise Lost written by John Milton. At Milton’s time, works were almost influenced by the atmosphere of the bourgeois revolution. Therefore, works which can show a revolutionary enthusiasm were popular with people as an encouraging guidance. The book showed a revolution from primitive society to civilized society should depend on knowledge and labor. At the same time, there are two opposite aspects in the universal just like the difficult fight in revolution of human beings.
The Great Awakening was a time when powerful enthusiastic preachers travelled from one town to another, giving emotion-packed sermons which had touched listeners extremely. On the other hand, American colonies held them back by depending on England to their further survival. Still, religion had a greater encouragement on English colonization in North America. The main aim of this was bringing America closer to becoming an independent state. In North America religion had a greater impact than economy.
It is also worth to notice that John Hawthorne, one of the Salem Witch Trial Judges, was his great-grandfather (Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography). Since Salem was his hometown, he developed his writing through the gospel of American Puritanism and intend to spread those principles through his literature which also gives the focus of his literature. Hawthorne’s writing style was unique and was well-regarded for several reasons. First of all, Hawthorne induces readers to use their own imagination to interpret the meaning of the tale, as it is evident in “The Minister’s Black Veil”. Moreover, he likes to present multi-fold and multi-perspective of a character.
Johnson was the first English lexicographer to use citations in this way, a method that greatly influenced the style of future dictionaries. He had scoured books stretching back to the 1500s, often quoting from those thought to be 'great works ' such as Milton or Shakespeare.” (The British Library, Literary quotations). In the eighteenth century, the language changed due to the time of the empire. Because of the people who came from foreign countries to England for commercial trading purposes, the language was affected from both foreign countries and England. “Johnson argued that as a country grows, so does the language.” (Seargeant and Swann, 2012, p.
There are a lot of known magnificent writers in American literature like Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson and Herman Melville. The writers seek to express the romantic worldview in a form of romanticism. A novel is majestic, emotionally intense and often is having symbolic overtones. A romantic novel is actually not a love story, it is a serious novel, which uses special hardware to transmit a complex, sometimes subtly fine sense. Instead of carefully drawn realistic characters, the authors have used an abundance of details, there were created a heroic figure that at times seemed more than life itself.