ENGLISH 2231: American Literature 1

Weekly Calendar: Week Four (Sept 18 -22)

Anthology Readings

Web Resources

Activities


Anne Bradstreet

The English Colonies 3 (cont'd.)

This week we delve into some of the poetry of the early English colonists in the U.S. Like the nonfiction writings we have read earlier, these writings are heavily involved with the religious beliefs of the authors.

We also read a captivity narrative this week. This form of story was important in colonial times and then transformed into the slavery captivity narrative (of which we will read examples later) in the years leading up to the American Civil War.

Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet's accomplishments as a poet are truly astounding. Amid the hardships of the early New England colonies and the cultural expectations and restrictions on the activities of Puritan woman, she produced the most important and popular poetry of early America. NAAL offers some background information (Baym et al. 238). Additionally I have chosen four poems to give you a taste of her work:

is a great site maintained by Prof. Ann Woodlief at Virginia Commonwealth University.  Each of the poems I have asked you to read above has page linked to this site. On each of these pages, Prof. Woodlief offers explanatory notes and suggestive questions to help understand Bradstreet's work.  Please look over these pages, including the "General Ways to Approach Bradstreet's Poetry" link, slowly and carefully. This is a great resource for interpreting these poems.

For more information on Anne Bradstreet, visit on the NPR (National Public Radio) website and listen to Weekend Edition host Scott Simon's interview with Charlotte Gordon. Gordon is the author of Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America's First Poet, a 2005 biography of Bradstreet. Gordon and Simon also read two of Bradstreet's poems during the interview. I have read the book and definitely recommend it if you want to know more about Bradstreet and the Puritans.

Edward Taylor

Edward Taylor was a Puritan minister and another important early American poet, especially in the development of imagery and conceits in his poetry. Please read the biographical sketch (Baym et al. 341) and "Meditation 8 (First Series)" (Taylor 344-345) to get a brief sense of his writing.

is another site by Prof. Donna Campbell;  here Prof. Campbell highlights some of the primary images and methods of poetic development seen in Taylor's work.

Mary Rowlandson

Mary Rowlandson (Baym et al. 308-309) was captured in a Native American raid on her settlement during King Philip's War between the English colonists and the Wampanoag tribe. "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" (Rowlandson 308-340) is the story of her 2-1/2 months with the Native Americans and provides an insightful, even though completely biased, account of life for the Natives and colonists and of the New England countryside at this time.

is a page I developed concerning the context for Rowlandson's narrative.  The information here has been distilled from a number of sources, including graduate seminars, instructors guides from Norton, Heath, and Prentice Hall, and Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

is another page from our old friend Prof. Campbell.  This page expands on the information in the page above.

Activities
(Due Dates/Times for all Activities are on the right side of the page)


Click on the "Discussion" link in the course's D2L navbar and answer the following question on the "Bradstreet and Taylor" discussion board:

For you, what was the most interesting or arresting allusion, image, metaphor, simile, or conceit in the poetry of either Bradstreet or Taylor? Quote the passage in your posting and explain why you find this particular use of a poetic device to be powerful and effective. If someone else has already posted the ideas you had intended to list, please post something different. In addition, please comment on, or connect your idea to, at least one other posting.


Click on the "Discussion" link in the course's D2L navbar and answer the following question on the "Rowlandson and Captivity " discussion board:

Rowlandson's tale is considered one of the quintessential American colonial captivity narratives.  Using the characteristics of a captivity narrative noted on the webpages I have directed you to, point out at least two ways in which her narrative displays characteristics of a captivity narrative. Quote specific passages from Rowlandson to support your point. If someone else has already posted the ideas you had intended to list, please post something different. In addition, please comment on, or connect your idea to, at least one other posting.


Click on the "Quizzes" link in the course's D2L navbar and complete the "Poetry Terms" quiz.

As you read the anthology and the web resources, please consider the following questions and ideas.

Go to the link to get definitions of these terms which may arise in our discussion of poetry:

Click the "Chat" link in the D2L navbar and go to the "ENGL 2231" chat.

Please contact me if you have any questions about this week's readings, web resources, or activities.

Contact Gill