PartITheLiteratureofColonialAmericaI．HistoricalIntroductionThecolonialperiodstretchedroughlyfromthesettlementofAmericaintheearly17thcenturythroughtheendofthe18th.ThefirstpermanentsettlementinAmericawasestablishedbyEnglishin1607.(AgroupofpeoplewassentbytheEnglishKingJamesItohuntforgold.TheyarrivedatVirginiain1607.TheynamedtheJamesRiverandbuildtheJamestown.)II．Thepre-revolutionarywritinginthecolonieswasessentiallyoftwokinds:1)Practicalmatter-of-factaccountsoffarming,hunting,travel,etc.designedtoinformpeople"athome"whatlifewaslikeinthenewworld,and,often,toinducetheirimmigration2)Highlytheoretical,generallypolemical,discussionsofreligiousquestions.III．TheFirstAmericanWriterThefirstwritingsthatwecallAmericanwerethenarrativesandjournalsofthesesettlements.Theywroteabouttheirvoyagetothenewland,theirlivesinthenewland,theirdealingswithIndians.CaptainJohnSmithisthefirstAmericanwriter.ATrueRelationofsuchOccurrencesandAccidentsofNoteasHathHappenedinVirginiaSincetheFirstPlantingofThatColony(1608)AMapofVirginia:ADescriptionoftheCountry(1612)GeneralHistoryofVirginia(1624):theIndianprincessPocahontasCaptainJohnSmithwasoneofthefirstearly17th-centuryBritishsettlersinNorthAmerica.HewasoneofthefoundersofthecolonyofJamestown,Virginia.HiswritingsaboutNorthAmericabecamethesourceofinformationabouttheNewWorldforlatersettlers.OneofthethingshewroteaboutthathasbecomeanAmericanlegendwashiscapturebytheIndiansandhisrescuebythefamousIndianPrincess,Pocahontas.IV．EarlyNewEnglandLiteratureWilliamBradfordandJohnWinthropJohnCottonandRogerWilliamsAnneBradstreetandEdwardTaylorV．PuritanThoughts1.TheoriginofpuritanInthemediaevalEurope,therewaswidespreadreligiousrevolution.Inthe16thCentury,theEnglishKingHenryVIII(Atthattime,theCatholicswerenotallowedtodivorceunlesstheyhavethePope'spermission.HenryVIIIwantedtodivorcehiswifebecauseshecouldn'tbearhimason.ButthePopedidn'tallowhimtodivorce,sohe)brokeawayfromtheRomanCatholicChurch&establishedtheChurchofEngland.Buttherewasno