UNIT 1 FORMATIVE FORMATIVE PERIOD: 1620-1836 1.1 William William Brad!r Brad!rd d Plantation, compiled between 1630 and 1651. Published in 1856. Set readings: Of Plymouth Plantation, Chapte Chapters rs to read: read: B!!" I# $%a&'(r I (!he Separatist "nterpretation o# the $e#ormation in %ngland. 1550&160') ra)m(*'*+ B!!" I# $%a&'(r IV (Showing the $easons and Causes o# !heir !heir $emo,a $emo,al* l*++ B!!" II # $%a&'(r +I (!he $emainder o# -nno 160. !he /a#lower Compact*. 1.1.1. A* (&i, *arra'i!*. $!*'(*'
Plantation has been de#ined as an epic in the irgilian mold on the a* Of Plymouth Plantation #ounding) de,elopment and decline o# the Plmouth colon between 160 and 1650. 2utline the #eatures that usti# this de#inition.
b* 4hat was the moti,ating idea behind the Plmouth enterprise 4h did rad#ord thin7 it was bound to succeed 4hat is the authors ,iew o# human nature c* 4hat is the ,ision o# -merica sustained b rad#ord Single out the metaphors used to depict 9ati,e inhabitants. 1.1.2. T%( Mal!(r $!m&a,'
!he Mayflower Compact is the #irst notable document o# -merican political histor. "t establ establish ished ed the Plmou Plmouth th colon colon in 9e 9ew w %nglan %nglandd as a Ci,il Ci,il od od Politic Politic) ) an independent republic until in 161 it merged with the /assachusetts a Colon. Concerning this agreed constitution. ;ugh rogan in his The Penguin History of the United States of America writes: Seen against the modern -merican bac7ground there is nothin nothingg ,er ,er stri7i stri7ing ng in the Pilgrims political arrangements+ but set against the bac7ground o# Stuart %ngland the are elo
!o what purpose did rad#ord write the boo7 1.1.. 'l(
=oes the stle used agree with the Puritan theor o# stle %>plain. 1.1.. T%( A/'%!r
"n the Colu Columb mbia ia Liter Literar aryy Hist Histor oryy of the the Unite United d Stat States es %,eret %,erettt %merso %mersonn writes writes concer con cernin ningg rad#o rad#ord: rd: - wise) wise) though thought#u t#ul) l) pious pious man) man) rad#o rad#ord rd was pro#ou pro#oundl ndl engaged in his tas7 o# writing the histor o# his own time. Since he was go,ernor) his wor7 is authoritati,e) and since he cared deepl about Plmouth) he was an ideal historian. (188:50*. =o ou share this opinion %>plain.
1.1.6. Bi4li!)ra&%
-992!-!%= "?"2@$-P;A B%9=%$) Stephen (183*. 4illiam rad#ord (150&165'*. American Literature in Contet !" #$%&'#()&" ?ondon: /ethuen. 5&60. Bender illustrates rad#ords appropriation o# biblical tpolog as means to record the emergence o# a new nation at a time when histor did not seem to wor7 out pected. Bender also re#lects on the tension between the authors desire to ma7e Plmouth part o# a di,ine historical plan) and his implicit recognition o# a latent #ailure. ut abo,e all) this critic argues that the narrati,e interest is #ocused on the process o# interpretation rather than on what happened to the colonists) since rad#ords main interest is in reading pro,idential desire without error. D%;?%9) /ra (1*. !hree 4riters o# %arl -merica and ESettlements. The Cambridge History of American Literature, ol. 1: 150&180. %d. Sac,an erco,itch. Cambridge: Cambridge Fni,ersit Press. 68&'6. 8&1. rad#ord is mostl discussed as e##ecti,e mth&ma7er in his recording o# colonial histor. ;is account shows two maor lines o# interpretation) #irst that -merica was utterl sa,age) and second) that -merica was essentiall di##erent #rom %urope. Bor the #irst time in -merican writing) %urope appears as a #oreign and unwholesome creature. 2!;%$ "?"2@$-P;A B2$ BF$!;%$ S!F=A -9=%$S29) =ouglas (003*. *illiam +radfords +oo-s. Of Plymouth Plantation and the Printed *ord" altimore) /=: Dohns ;op7ins Fni,ersit Press. $2=$G@F%H @-$CG-) DosI /arJa (00*. %>iles and -rri,als in Christopher Columbus and 4illiam rad#ord. /0lorations in 1enaissance Culture 8:1: '5&8. S-$@%9!) /ar7 ?. (00*. !he est Parts o# ;istoriesK: !he ?etters in 4illiam rad#ordKs 2# Plmouth Plantation. Li2es Out of Letters. /ssays on American Literary +iogra0hy and 3ocumentation . %d. $obert ;abich. /adison) 9D: Bairleigh =ic7inson Fni,ersit Press. 5&6.
