The main purposes of Early American Literature

  1. 1. Identify three main purposes of Early American Literature and describe how they are reflected and varied in individual texts from the earliest period.
  2. 2. Describe some of the central principles of Puritan ideology and illustrate their significance in specific literary works.
  3. 3. Discuss the development of the concept of the American Dream in early American literature.
  4. 4. Discuss the religious or political changes that occurred in the late 1700s and/or the early 1800s, emphasizing specific literary texts.
  5. 5. Discuss the development of the personal narrative as a literary genre.
  6. 6. Discuss the effects that the Enlightenment ideals had on American Literature.
  7. 7. Trace the development and growth of the publishing industry and discuss how it affected American literature.
  8. 8. Explain the concept of freedom in the works of African American slaves.
  9. 9. Consider literary portraits of escaping slaves portrayed as heroic fugitives. Compare portraits by Stowe, Jacobs, and Douglass and others if you wish.
    1. Compare and contrast multiple authors of different historical periods writing on common subjects.