A Brief History o f

Children and Adolescent

L i t e r a t u r e i n the
Puritan Period
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W h a t is Puritan?
W h a t is
P u r ita n is m ?
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Puritan is a reform movement that

strove to purify the practices
and structure of the C hurch of
Eng land in the sixteenth
throug h eig hteenth centuries.
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Puritanism refers to a Calvinist movement that emphasized

a personal experience of salvation by Christ; strict moral
discipline and purity as the correct form of Christian life; a
convenant of obedience to God, who was viewed as
absolute sovereign over all; and societal reform, to convert
the world to the way of Christ.
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SALIENT FEATURES
DURING THIS
PERIOD
a c c o r d i n g to M o o r e
(1994):
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Main tenet: Predestination

Puritans' religious beliefs affected their lives on
all levels, and their writing illustrated their
Features

religion's values.
Puritans understood that and undertook it
with a goal of honoring God and the Bible
through their work.
The Literature relied on a first-person narrative.
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO
THE EVOLUTION
of LITERATURE
a c c o r d i n g to M o o r e
(1994):
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Contributions Puritan writing focused heavily on questions

of historical fact: Concept of Decay.
Puritan writings are characterized by a simplicity of
form, avoiding complex syntax and verbiage in
favor of direct, clear speech.
Puritan writers wrote to find spiritual meaning in
the events of their lives and their relationship with
God. Many Puritan writings of the 17th and 18th
century were transcripts of sermons, and those
that weren't were written in a style very similar
to that of a preacher giving a sermon.
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Contributions The first printing press arrived in

Massachusetts in 1638.
The early products of the C ambridge press
were materials for the use of the college and
colony.
The first successful newspaper in America,
the Boston News-Letter, appeared in
1704.
By 1740 there were sixteen newspapers in the
British colonies, all weeklies.
By the time of the American Revolution in 1775,
there were some thirty-seven newspapers in
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10

FAMOUS PURITAN
W R I T E R S AND THEIR
WORKS
Page
11

John Milton
0 Paradise Lost
1 (1667)
02 Paradise Regained (1671)
Other notable published works:
"On Shakespeare" (1630), "Comus"
(1637),
"Lycidas" (1638),
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12

Anne Bradstreet
0 "The Tenth Muse Late
1 ly Sprung Up In Ameri
ca" (1650)
Note: She was considered by many
scholars to be the first American
poet.
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13

EdwardTaylor
0 Preparatory
1 Meditations Before
My Approach to the
Lord's Supper (1937)
Note: Taylor did not write his
poems for publication but as a
private act to prepare for each
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14

John D r y d e n
0 "Heroique Stanzas"
1 (1658)
Other notable published works:
"Hidden Flame", "Mac Flecknoe," "One Happy
Moment," "A Song for St. Cecelia's Day,"
"Song for Amphitryon," "Song to a Fair
Young Lady, Going Out of the Town in the
Spring", "To the Memory of Mr. Oldham."
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15

T H A N K Y O U FOR
LISTENING!