The Age of Faith

1
The Age of Faith

• The Puritans
• 1600-1800

2
The History and Style

• Separated from the Anglican church of England.
• Religion dominated their lives and writings.
• Wrote sermons, diaries, personal narratives and
  slave narratives.
• Writing was instructive and written in plain
  style.

3
Sin and Guilt 101 (the Puritan beliefs)

• Total depravity The concept of original sin.
• The doctrine of election No one knows if they
  are damned or saved, God chooses.
• Predestination Only a few are selected for
  salvation.
• Limited atonement Jesus died for the chosen
  only, not for everyone.
• Irresistible grace Gods grace is freely given.
• Perseverance of the Saints Those elected by
  god, interpret the will of God, and told others
  how to live their lives.

4
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)

• The first published American poet.
• Her brother-in-law published her book as a
  surprise.
• Although she was a woman and most thought that a
  womans hand fits a needle better than a pen,
  she was still thought of as a good (if not great)
  writer.

5
Edward Taylor (1654-1729)

• Minister, considered the finest Puritan poet.
• Only allowed two stanzas of each of his poems to
  be published during his lifetime because he
  considered it personal religious worship.

6
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

• Minister
• Viewed God as punitive and distant.
• Viewed man as basically evil.

7
John Smith (1580-1631)

• Wrote the general history of Virginia.
• Created the Pocahontas legend
• Was an adventure writer and difficult to get
  along with.
• Helped lay the foundation for American Literature.

8
Related Modern Work

• The Crucible, by Arthur Miller
• Created by Miller as a metaphor for McCarthyism.

9
McCarthyism Metaphor

• In the early 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy
  conducted a witch hunt for communists.
• He shattered the lives of many innocent and
  talented Americans.
• Miller was one of those Americans and he created
  his play to point out the craziness of the time.

10
Just a side note

• The ideals of the Puritans are still felt
  todaythe ingrained American sense of
  responsibility, moral superiority, and nagging
  guilt all come from our Puritan heritage.
• so make sure you clean your room, finish
  everything on your plate, and do your homework
  already!