Puritans and
Literature
Why read and learn about the Puritans?
 Puritans played an important role in shaping American values.
 17th Century Puritans contributed to our country’s sense of mission,
work ethic and moral sensibility.
 Today, eight million Americans can trace their ancestry to the fifteen
to twenty thousand Puritans who migrated to New England between
1629 and 1640
Why is Puritan literature important?
 Some argue that American literature simply grew out of changing
historical factors that had little or nothing to do with the religious
questioning done by the Puritans.
 Others argue that the Puritans’ practice of examining their lives for
acts of good and evil (Providential Signs) naturally shifted into
creative writing and imaginative expressions.
 Finally it is believed that to write the history of the U.S. you would
have to start with the Puritans, so to Puritan writing would also be
the first form of American literature.
 You will have to decide for yourself!
Why Focus on New England?
 New England is an early major publishing and intellectual center.
 Puritans are intellectual and culturally literate. They read and produced
many texts.
 Texts were written in English.
 Many important authors come from New England—Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.
Pilgrims vs. Puritans
Pilgrims
 Wanted to Separate from
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the Church of England
Emphasized the Bible
Believed literacy important
Religious, not political focus
Actions are interpretations
of works of God
Left England for Holland in
1608
Landed in Plymouth in 1620
Puritans
 Wanted to Purify the Church
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of England of Catholic
practices, not separate from it
Leaders highly educated
Stressed education for all
Knowledge of Bible essential
Government should make sure
that all act according to God’s
will and Puritan beliefs.
First arrived in Massachusetts
in 1629
Puritan Values
 Education
 Hard Work
 Morality
 Commitment
 Simplicity
 Self-Governance
 Do you know anyone today that
demonstrates these values?
5 Basic Principles of Puritan Beliefs
 Absolute Sovereignty
 God is in control of everything. God is constantly working in their daily lives
 Total Depravity
 Through Adam and Eve’s fall every person is born sinful (Original Sin)
 Predestination
 God “saves” only those he wishes. Only the “elect” are selected for salvation.
 A person who was outwardly sinful was manifesting the evil that had been predestined.
 You could not influence you’re salvation, but you should try to act as someone who was
saved should act
 Those who were favored with wealth and happiness had been chosen by God.
 Limited Atonement
 Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.
 Irresistible Grace
 God’s grace is given freely, it cannot be denied or earned
Puritans’ way of reading the world
 Puritan Typology – The belief that God’s intentions are present in
human action and in natural events.
 Failure to understand these intentions are human limitation.
 Puritans believed in cyclical or repetitive history.
 i.e. coming to America is like Moses’ journey out of Egypt.
Family Life
 The Husband – The father was the head of the
household and he was expected to maintain his
authority.
 The husband was expected to love his wife with
the same passion and strength was Christ.
More Family Life
 The Wife – was first and foremost required to be
fully submissive to her husband.
 She was to obey her husband’s lawful
commandments as if they came from Christ.
 She was suppose to dress and behave modestly.
 However she was second in the household and
commanded the children and servants.
More Family Life
 The Children – Children were expected to both love and fear their
parents, to be obedient, submissive and speak in a restrained and proper
manner.
 Children would be beaten and was considered necessary for proper
upbringing.
New England Primer
Important Pilgrims/Puritans
 William Bradford (1590 –1657) – One of the leaders
of colonial America, Bradford arrived at Cape Cod on
Nov. 11th 1620, on the Mayflower. He was one of the
authors of the Mayflower Compact. His greatest
contribution to early writing is his History of Plymouth
Plantation.
 John Winthrop (1588 – 1649) – One of the founders
of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop arrived in
1630 aboard the flagship Arbella. As governor of the
Colony, he established the center of government at
Boston. Winthrop began writing his Journal in 1630 and
continued it till his death. On board the Arbella, he
prepared his famous sermon “A model of Christian
Charity”
More Important Puritans
 Anne Bradstreet (1612? – 1672) – Famous as the first
American poet. Her first work was published in London
in 1650.
 Cotton Mather (1663-1728) – Produced 444 volumes
of written work. Although his writing is filled with
moralistic instruction and references to the Bible, it
reveals important information on the history and society
of his time.
 Mary White Rowlandson (1637? – 1711) – Known
for her personal narrative – “A Narrative of the Captivity
and Restoration of Mrs. Mary a.” She was captured by
Wampanoag warriors for almost 12 weeks. Eventually,
her husband paid twenty pounds for her ransom. Her
story became extremely popular and wide read.
Anne Hutchinson (1591 – 1643)
 Hutchinson organized weekly meetings of
Boston women to discuss sermons and
give their own religious views.
 She stressed the individual’s intuition as a
means of reaching God and salvation,
rather than observance of church beliefs
and the guidance of ministers.
 Her criticism of the Puritans’ narrow
concept of morality and her protests
against the authority of the clergy were
part of why she was banished by John
Winthrop.
 With some of her followers she
established a settlement in what is now
Rhode Island.
Formats and Reasons for Puritan Writing
 Puritans wrote in very specific formats:
 Poetry, letters, and diaries—usually unpublished
 Sermons, histories, trial transcripts—often published
 Captivity narratives
 Common Themes:
 Idealism (ideas of perfection) – both religious and political
 Practicality
 The glory of God
“Of Plymouth Plantation” Overview
 Written by William Bradford
 It is a history of everyday life in Plymouth
 Strong sense of narrative – he creates a
suspenseful story.
 Puritan Typology – he is always alert for signs
of God’s design.