American literature

American literature generally refers to English literature produced in the United States. The history of American literary tradition began initially as part of a broader English literature in the colonies along the East Coast of what is now the U.S.A. Since the late 18th century, the literary outcome of the former colonies gradually found its own unique 'American' voice and formed ist own literary tradition.

Colonial literature

Some early forms of American literature like pamphlets and other texts were meant to glorify the colonies for European readers. Captain John Smith may be considered the first American author with his works: "A True Relation of occurrences Suche Accidents or Note and axle Happened in Virginia (1608) and "The General History of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles" (1624). Other similar writers were Daniel Denton ("Brief Description of New York) - 1670, Thomas Asche ("Carolina") - 1682, William Penn ("Brief Account of the Province of Pennsylvania") - 1682, George Percy, William Strachey, John Hammond, Daniel Coxe, Gabriel Thomas and John Lawson.

Religious issues and disputes were frequent literary topics during the early years of colonization. John Winthrop's diary treated the religious foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Edward Winslow also kept a diary in which he described the first years after the arrival of the Mayflower. An important cleric and writer of that period was Increase Mather. Governor William Bradford is best known for his book about the adventures of the Pilgrims, Of Plymouth Plantation, that he wrote between 1620 and 1647. Others like Roger Williams and Nathaniel Ward advocated a stricter separation of church and state.

There was also activity in all fields of poetry: with, among others,Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor. Another source of inspiration for literary writings were the encounters with Indians and the conflicts that they engendered: Daniel Gookin, Alexander Whitaker, John Mason, Benjamin Church and Mary Rowlandson wrote about this subject. The Puritan John Eliot even translated the Bible for the Indians in the Massachusett-language. In this revolutionary period the production of political writings flourished, including those of Samuel Adams, Josiah Quincy, John Dickinson, and the royalist Joseph Galloway.

Sources and references

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature - Third edition Vol. I and II