Puritan History

1
Comunicación y Gerencia

• Puritan History
• and Literature

2
Puritanism

• Puritanism covered a period from the1550s to
  about 1700
• Originally developed in England to purify the
  Anglican church (or the Church of England) of the
  trappings of Catholicism
• A Separatist movement developed within the
  Puritans. They had given up on purifying the
  church deciding that only a separate movement
  could succeed.

3
Plymouth Colony

• Moving first to Holland in 1607, fear of
  assimilation and lack of religious fervor led
  them to leave for a new land devoyd of all
  civill inhabitants in 1620.
• These people we call Pilgrims.
• Most of the settlers of Plymouth were poor and of
  the working class.

Plymouth today
4
William Bradford

• William Bradford was the
• governor of the Plymouth Colony
• Helped create positive Indian relations
• and democratic town hall meeting
• Wrote Of Plymouth Plantation in 1630 using
  Puritan Plain Style
• Non-Fiction Narrative Account
• Tell the story of real-life events. Can be
  first-hand or written by someone that researched
  the events.
• Considered the most complete authority on the
  Puritans and a primary document on the time
  period.

5
Massachusetts Bay Colony

• A group of Puritans persuaded King James to grant
  them an area of land between the Massachusetts
  Bay and Charles River in North America.
• The main party of 700 people left
• Southampton in April 1630.
• During the 1630s over 20,000 people emigrated to
  Massachusetts Bay.
• The settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were
  much wealthier and of higher social standing.
  They came as Puritans in the true sense, not
  Separatists.

Boston today
6
Anne Bradstreet

• Wrote for herself, not publication
• Published in 1650 considered
  to be the first collection of
  original poetry written in the
  colonies
• First female poet to be
  published
• Used Plain Puritan Style as well

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Lasting Effects of Puritans

• Emphasis on Simplicity in Worship
• Public Education
• High Moral Standards
• Democratic Political Principles
• Puritan Ethic Believed good was accomplished
  through hard work, self-reliance, and
  self-discipline. Influenced industrialism and
  efficiency.

Harvard University
8
Puritan Literature

• Purpose for Literature
• provide spiritual insight and instruction
• reinforce authority of the Bible and church

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Style of Puritan Literature

• Simpleplain writing style with a clear
  statement. There is no use of pathos or emotion
  to sway the reader.
• Straightforwardunembellished direct statements,
  with little figurative language, although there
  are frequent Biblical allusions.
• Spiritualintended as either personal reflection
  or group edification

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Characteristics of Puritan Literature

• God is all-powerful, vengeful, and wrathful.
• Mans destiny is already decided nothing can be
  done to change it.
• Humans are essentially evil and flawed.
• A few people will go to Heaven, but most will go
  to Hell.
• No one knows whether they are one of the saved or
  one of the damned.

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Characteristics cont. of Puritan Literature

• God decides who goes to Heaven and who goes to
  Hell.
• Human duties while living are to be faithful to
  God and prepare for the afterlife.
• Education exists to teach people to read the
  Bible.
• The Bible is the ultimate source of information
  for anything.

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Types of Puritan Literature

• Some narrative accounts such as histories,
  biographies, and autobiographies.
• Some poems, journals and diaries, but their aim
  was primarily for serious self-examination
• Did not produce fiction nor drama because they
  regarded both as sinful.