Prosa Y Ficcion Essay
|PROSA Y FICCION DE LOS EEUU I (HASTA 1850) |
1. Introduction: American Literature
Why and how is American literature different from its mother country (Great Britain)?
In the beginning, America was a colony of Britain so its literature was the offspring of British literature; it was a sort of colonial literature, which would later give place to post-colonial literature. There are differences in themes, texture, etc. American literature is something else altogether – although this won’t happen until the 1820s, when American literature will become a literature of its own. Prior to that the formative period of American literature takes place.
American literature is different because literature is a cultural manifestation that expresses the ideas of the author and the country. It is linked to the context in which it is produced, the social and geographical landscape. Landscape creates character, and character creates content. Form and content are inseparable; a change in content implies a change in form, and a change in reality produces changes in form and content.
In order to understand how, we must look at several characteristics.
a) Social background
- the settlements (colonization) - the first settlers: literally, people talk about the Puritans, but before them there were native Americans, whose voices were not heard until much later. There were also many visitors, but they didn’t stay there. Examples include Smith and Cabeza de Vaca among others.
The settler colony in America was established in a peculiar way.
Australia was initially a prison; marginal people and convicts were sent to this remote island. There was no hope and no future. They were sent to a land of punishment. The Australian hero needs to conceal his origins.
Quite the opposite happened in America: the Puritans preached freedom, they wanted a land where nobody would banish
1. Introduction: American Literature
Why and how is American literature different from its mother country (Great Britain)?
In the beginning, America was a colony of Britain so its literature was the offspring of British literature; it was a sort of colonial literature, which would later give place to post-colonial literature. There are differences in themes, texture, etc. American literature is something else altogether – although this won’t happen until the 1820s, when American literature will become a literature of its own. Prior to that the formative period of American literature takes place.
American literature is different because literature is a cultural manifestation that expresses the ideas of the author and the country. It is linked to the context in which it is produced, the social and geographical landscape. Landscape creates character, and character creates content. Form and content are inseparable; a change in content implies a change in form, and a change in reality produces changes in form and content.
In order to understand how, we must look at several characteristics.
a) Social background
- the settlements (colonization) - the first settlers: literally, people talk about the Puritans, but before them there were native Americans, whose voices were not heard until much later. There were also many visitors, but they didn’t stay there. Examples include Smith and Cabeza de Vaca among others.
The settler colony in America was established in a peculiar way.
Australia was initially a prison; marginal people and convicts were sent to this remote island. There was no hope and no future. They were sent to a land of punishment. The Australian hero needs to conceal his origins.
Quite the opposite happened in America: the Puritans preached freedom, they wanted a land where nobody would banish