Massachusetts)

Research Guide to American Literature Part II Study Guides onColonial General Literature Topics 1607–1776= Z RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 1 3/3/10 9:42:58 AM Research Guide to American Literature = Volume 1: Colonial Literature, 1607–1776 Volume 2: Early American Literature, 1776–1820 Volume 3: Romanticism and Transcendentalism, 1820–1865 Volume 4: Realism and Regionalism, 1865–1914 Volume 5: American Modernism, 1914–1945 Volume 6: Postwar Literature, 1945–1970 Volume 7: Contemporary Literature, 1970 to Present RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 2 3/3/10 9:42:58 AM Research Guide to American Literature Part II Study Guides onColonial General Literature Topics 1607–1776= Z Benjamin Franklin V University of South Carolina A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 3 3/3/10 9:42:58 AM Research Guide to American Literature: Colonial Literature, 1607–1776 Copyright © 2010 by Benjamin Franklin V All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Research guide to American literature. -- New ed. p. cm. “A Bruccoli Clark Layman book.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8160-7861-5 (v. 1 : acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-0-8160-7862-2 (v. 2 : acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-0-8160-7863-9 (v. 3 : acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-0-8160-7864-6 (v. 4 : acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-0-8160-7865-3 (v. 5 : acid- free paper)—ISBN 978-0-8160-7866-0 (v. 6 : acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-0-8160- 7867-7 (v. 7 : acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-1-4381-3242-6 (v.1: ebook) 1. American literature—Research—Methodology—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. American literature—History and criticism. 3. Canon (Literature) I. Franklin, Benjamin, 1939– II. Vietto, Angela III. Habich, Robert D., 1951– IV. Quirk, Tom, 1946– V. Scharnhorst, Gary. VI. Anderson, George Parker, 1957– VII. Cusatis, John. VIII. Moser, Linda Trinh, 1964– IX. West, Kathryn, 1962– X. Facts on File, Inc. PS51.R47 2010 810.7’2—dc22 2009047815 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Erika K. Arroyo Composition by Bruccoli Clark Layman Cover printed by Art Print, Taylor, PA Book printed and bound by Maple Press, York, PA Date printed: February 2010 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. As always, for Jo, Abigail, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Louisa = RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 5 3/3/10 9:42:58 AM RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 6 3/3/10 9:42:58 AM Contents= Acknowledgments ........................................ .xi Series Introduction . ..................................... .xiii PART I: OVERVIEW......................................... 3 Boundaries of the Period.................................... 3 Why Study This Period and These Writers 3 Movements and Schools Active during Period 4 Dominant Genres and Literary Forms......................... 6 Dominant Writers 7 Historical and Social Context................................ 9 Key Historical Events of the Period 9 Major Social Issues 11 Developments within Publishing That Affected Literary Production 13 Literary Influences........................................ 15 Foreign Influences 15 The Audience 18 Evolution of Critical Opinion............................... 20 Critical Approaches to Colonial Literature 20 Dominant Schools of Criticism Treating Colonial Literature 23 PART II: STUDY GUIDES ON GENERAL TopiCS ............. 27 Biography ............................................... 27 Dissent . ................................................ 33 Drama . ................................................ 38 Essays and Newspapers . ................................... 43 Histories . ............................................... 48 Indians and Captivity Narratives ............................ 53 Poetry . ................................................. 58 Politics (Massachusetts).................................... 63 Religion . ............................................... 68 Women Authors.......................................... 72 RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 7 3/3/10 9:42:59 AM PART III: STUDY GUIDES ON WORKS AND WRITERS ....... 83 William Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation . 83 Anne Bradstreet .......................................... 87 Mather Byles ............................................ 91 William Byrd II . ......................................... 95 Charles Chauncy . ....................................... 100 Benjamin Colman . ...................................... 103 Ebenezer Cook.......................................... 107 John Cotton . ........................................... 111 John Dickinson . ........................................ 115 Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. A Sermon Preached at Enfield, July 8th 1741. At a Time of Great Awakenings; and Attended with Remarkable Impressions on Many of the Hearers ......................... 119 Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard. An Almanack . 123 Cotton Mather.......................................... 128 Increase Mather . ........................................ 132 Richard Mather . ........................................ 136 Jonathan Mayhew . ...................................... 140 Thomas Morton......................................... 144 Samson Occom, “S. Occom’s Account of Himself, Written Sept. 17, 1768” . ................................ 148 William Penn ........................................... 152 Mary Rowlandson, The Soveraignty & Goodness of God, Together, with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed . 156 Samuel Sewall . ......................................... 160 John Smith . ............................................ 164 Solomon Stoddard ....................................... 168 Edward Taylor . ......................................... 171 Benjamin Tompson . ..................................... 175 John Trumbull . ......................................... 179 Nathaniel Ward . ........................................ 183 Mercy Otis Warren . ..................................... 187 Phillis Wheatley......................................... 191 Michael Wigglesworth, The Day of Doom: or, a Description of the Great and Last Judgment. With a Short Discourse about Eternity . 195 Roger Williams ......................................... 199 RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 8 3/3/10 9:42:59 AM John Winthrop.......................................... 203 John Woolman . 207 PART IV: ANNOTATED BibLiogRAPHY .................... .215 PART V: GLossARY ...................................... .221 Index ................................................. 229 RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 9 3/3/10 9:42:59 AM RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 10 3/3/10 9:42:59 AM Acknowledgments= I could not have met the deadline for this book without the support of the inter- library loan and reference departments at the Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina. The librarians who helped me, always with good humor, are Robert Amerson, Brian Barr, Marilee Birchfield, William Boland, Karen Brown, Mary Bull, Gerri Corson, Joshua Garris, Beki Gettys, Amber Gibbs, Marna Hostetler, Laura Ladwig, Tom Marcil, Francess Murray, Timothy Simmons, Bob Skinder, William Suddeth, Sharon Verba, Virginia Weathers, Andrea Wright, and Deborah Yerkes. I am grateful to Thomas F. McNally, William E. Rivers, and Tucker Taylor for supporting my work. Margaret Bendroth clarified Con- gregational polity. Sarah Hartwell provided information about Samson Occom’s manuscripts. Ellen and Don Greiner nourished me on a weekly basis. xi RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 11 3/3/10 9:42:59 AM RGAL_1Colonial Lit final .indd 12 3/3/10 9:42:59 AM Series Introduction= Research Guide to American Literature is a series of handbooks for students and teachers that recommends strategies for studying literary topics and frequently taught literary works and authors. The rationale for the series is that success- ful study is predicated on asking the right questions and then devising a logical strategy for addressing them. The process of responsible literary investigation begins with facts and usually ends with opinions. The value of those opinions depends on the ability of the reader to gather useful information, to consider it in context, to interpret it logically, and finally to decide what the interpretation means outside the confines of the literary work. Often the answers to questions a sophisticated reader asks about a literary topic are subjective, involving a reader’s perception of an author’s or a character’s motive; always the search for the answer to a meaningful question involves a process of self-education and, in the best of circumstances, self-awareness. RGAL is intended as a resource to assist readers in identifying questions to ask about literature. The seven volumes in this series are organized chronologi- cally, corresponding to generally accepted literary periods. Each volume follows this general pattern: Part I provides the social and

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