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Colonial Narratives and the American Short Story
1. CONTEXTUALIZATION
The American colonial period was a time of growth and discovery for what would eventually become a strong new country.
The colonies which were set up in the New World between Columbus' landing in Central America in 1492 and the American Revolution
in 1776 were widely diverse, with many different backgrounds and motivations. Many colonists were traders and treasure seekers,
like the English settlers in Jamestown and Williamsburg, or the Spanish settlers in Florida and Central America. Others were
seeking to set up religious societies based on their own beliefs, such as the Puritans in New England and the Quakers in Pennsylvania.
Colonization was also a result of European nations attempting to increase the scope of their power. Despite their differences,
all colonists did have one thing in common; they were attempting to build homes, lives and societies in a new and often frightening
country.
The writing that came out of this period is as diverse as the people who created it. Travel narratives were extremely
popular as new lands and peoples were being discovered. Legends began to spring up within the colonies as the new communities
grew roots and developed histories of their own. Narratives describing daily life in the colonies were of great interest
to people who remained in Europe. Wit and poetry that resembled old-world sensibilities began to give way to enlightenment
writings and a distinctly American voice.
2. SALIENT POINTS
As stated above, there are many different styles of narratives that spring from the colonial period of American history.
One of these styles is the travel narrative, a detailed account of one person's particular journey or adventure of discovery.
Christopher Columbus's Journal of the First Voyage to America is an example of the type of spare and basic writing that make
up these narratives. While they are somewhat dry, unembellished accounts of the day to day happenings of a journey, they
offer people who may never leave their homes the opportunity to imagine strange new lands and harrowing adventures.
Another important form of colonial narrative is diaries, or accounts of colonial life. Examples include the diary of
Samuel Sewall or the writings of John Winthrop, Cotton Mather or William Bradford. Some, such as Sewall's were probably intended
to be private, while others, such as Winthrop's were meant to be read by a larger audience of friends and family; still, both
kind can offer important information about what colonial life was like, as well as insight into the worldviews, philosophies,
and spiritual and secular concerns of colonial people. In terms of writing style, it is interesting to note how these authors
combined history, autobiography, and philosophy to create a work that illustrates their worldview.
Colonial American political writing is important in showing the shift from European or old-world literature to a new,
distinctly American literature. An example is Mercy Otis Warren, born in Massachusetts in 1728. Her writings, both poetry
and prose, were often political in nature, reflecting the revolutionary climate that was embroiling the country at the time.
Literature such as this, or Thomas Paine's Common Sense helped to define the uniquely American perspective that was just beginning
to develop. American writing was being shaped by the real issues of life on a new frontier and the ideals of democracy.
3. INFLUENCE ON THE SHORT STORY
American colonial narratives are important to the development of the short story because they lead to the development
of a uniquely American voice in literature. The modern short story developed largely in America, primarily by Edgar Allen
Poe. Without the colonial experience and the writing that developed from it, American literature would not have developed
along such a unique and influential path. Also, the compressed nature of short stories draws from the down to basics approach
taken in travel narratives. Finally, the American inclination for political and religious pamphlets paved the way for short
fiction to be printed and distributed.
4.CONNECTIONS TO OUR CLASS
Nathaniel Hawthorne was obviously greatly influenced by the colonial period in terms of his personal writing. He is
best known for his tales of colonial America, including his best known novel The Scarlet Letter, and his short stories The
Minister's Black Veil, Young Goodman Brown, and Ethan Brand, to name a few. Hawthorne was haunted by the knowledge that his
puritan ancestors had participated in religious persecution during the colonial period; it may have even been the reason he
added a w to his name, changing it from Hathorne to Hawthorne, in his early twenties. Without the influence of earlier colonial
narratives, Hawthorne would not have been the great writer that he was; many of the issues he studied in his works can be
traced back to colonial Puritanism. He often explored themes such as Puritan guilt, hypocrisy, witchcraft, and how the sins
of one generation can effect the next.
Similarly, Washington Irving was greatly influenced by the American colonial narratives that came before him. In fact,
he was affected by the colonial period at birth; his parents named him for George Washington. His works, including The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, drew upon the folk legends that were brought to colonial America from the old world,
and then given a new world twist. Irving also spent time abroad in Europe and traveling to the American frontier. He wrote
a number of works similar to travel narratives, such as The Adventures of Captain Bonneville and Astoria.
Material was collected from these websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_america
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=72808220
http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/sewall.html
http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/mather.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_Otis_Warren
http://www.poemhunter.com/mercy-warren/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_%28pamphlet%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_stories#Origins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne#Short_story_collections
http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/wirving.htm
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