American Literature

1. Introduction to American
Literature

2. The World at the Beginning of
the American Era
Geography--the Europeans were
discovering new territories, including North
America
Religion
1456--Gutenberg printed his first Bible
(education almost always leads to the
undermining of authority)
October 31, 1517--Luther posts 95 theses
against indulgences
1534--Act of Supremacy

3. Astronomy
Copernicus publishes On the
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres,
suggesting that the earth rotates
around the sun.

4. Government
In 1513, Machiavelli publishes The
Prince, in which he depicts the lying,
cheating, and stealing of successful
rulers.

5. The effect of all this was that
Euopeans began to see the world’s
instability. Humans began to see
themselves as small beings in a big
world. Traditional assumptions were
broken down.

6. Traits of the American Character
Sense of the endless frontier.
America was a high-risk society.
Naivete
Capitalist Ethos
Calvinistic Influence
Diverse Cultural Influences
Bill Murray: “Americans are people kicked out
of every respectable county in the world.”
Practical versus Artistic
Independent Temperament

7. What is American Literature?
Literature that is distinctly American?
This is no help.
Literature written by Americans?
Aren’t Canadians or Mexicans Americans?
Does American literature include literature in
other languages than English?
A literary inheritance?
“American Literature and I have a bond.”
Henry James said that American writers
must deal with being American.

8. The Canon
What works should we study?
Should we expand the canon to
include more works by minorities and
women?