CHAPTER 2 The literature of Colonial America
II - The literature of Colonial America (1607-1765): The literature of settlement
I- THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
1) Sir Captain John Smith a) Native Indians and "orature". The families and the friends were sitting around a fire and they tell stories, their history was told by oral transmission (not written). "Orature" refers to the great native Indians' narrative and legends. So they cannot be part of American Literature. b) Explorers -Early explorers: American literature is very close to the history of the United States and the discovery of this continent (C. Columbus: first explorer who wrote about America (propaganda, briefs, geographical descriptions, documents praising the benefits of the colonies.) so he is considered to be part of the American history but not of the literature because his works had only informative functions. -J. Smith and late explorers: The very first writer about America was Captain John Smith (1580-1631) with "First English Permanent Setting on the New Continent in Virginia". As an eternal dreamer, he mixed his own adventures (more or less imaginary) to his historical records. For example, in “The True Relation of Virginia” or in his “Description of New England”, he tells the story of the young Pocahontas, who nourished the American imagination until the 20th century (the story was picked up in 2006 by Terrence Malick in his movie entitled “The New World”) t was a literature of witness, deeper than the informative writings of the early explorers. J. Smith's point of view is not influenced by the Empire; he didn't see America as a source of profit. They realized that they could learn a lot from America (New vision of America).
II- SIR CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH
1) The first hero in US history
He established the first permanent English settlement in America named Virginia. He has been the one that was saved from death by the Indian Pocahontas, and this story is very famous (Disney), so J. Smith is very popular.
2) John Smith's
I- THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
1) Sir Captain John Smith a) Native Indians and "orature". The families and the friends were sitting around a fire and they tell stories, their history was told by oral transmission (not written). "Orature" refers to the great native Indians' narrative and legends. So they cannot be part of American Literature. b) Explorers -Early explorers: American literature is very close to the history of the United States and the discovery of this continent (C. Columbus: first explorer who wrote about America (propaganda, briefs, geographical descriptions, documents praising the benefits of the colonies.) so he is considered to be part of the American history but not of the literature because his works had only informative functions. -J. Smith and late explorers: The very first writer about America was Captain John Smith (1580-1631) with "First English Permanent Setting on the New Continent in Virginia". As an eternal dreamer, he mixed his own adventures (more or less imaginary) to his historical records. For example, in “The True Relation of Virginia” or in his “Description of New England”, he tells the story of the young Pocahontas, who nourished the American imagination until the 20th century (the story was picked up in 2006 by Terrence Malick in his movie entitled “The New World”) t was a literature of witness, deeper than the informative writings of the early explorers. J. Smith's point of view is not influenced by the Empire; he didn't see America as a source of profit. They realized that they could learn a lot from America (New vision of America).
II- SIR CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH
1) The first hero in US history
He established the first permanent English settlement in America named Virginia. He has been the one that was saved from death by the Indian Pocahontas, and this story is very famous (Disney), so J. Smith is very popular.
2) John Smith's