Survey of American Literature ISurvey of American Literature I

from the beginning to 1870

DR. ETTA MADDEN

Questions?

• Syllabus?

• Responses?

• Abstracts?

IntroductionsIntroductions•Major?

•Minor?

•Lit courses?

•Writing courses?

•Why this course?

•Desire to accomplish?

•Pretest results?

Summary

• Class composition

• Pretest results

• Facts vs. Ideas

• Why American literature?

Literature

• Beautifully or interestingly written material

• Contains universal truth

• Elevates understanding of human condition

Literature

• Is reflection of culture

• Contributes to creation of culture

• Culture: – Ways of being, co-existing, understanding life

Beginnings: Beliefs and Texts

Genesis & Exodus

The Geneva Bible (1560)Creation & Emergence

Accounts:◦ How does its visual appearance make you feel? Why?

Beginnings: Beliefs and Texts

Genesis & Exodus

◦ Content:

◦ What does the creation & emergence story tell you?

Knowledge & Authority

• Sources of knowledge:

– How do we know what we know?

• Authority Figures:

– Whom do we trust, obey, respect? Why?

Both appearance and content tell us something about

•Authority figures

•Reading practices

•Gender roles

•Attitudes toward Nature or Natural World

•Clans/Nations/Cultures

•Laws

Key Dates:Key Dates:

• Printing Press, Gutenberg, 1439• The Bible, 1456• Columbus, 1492• Luther’s Theses and

Excommunication, 1517 and 1520• Geneva Bible, 1560

Direct Reading and ProtestantismDirect Reading and Protestantism ◦ the Bible in the hands of the people ◦ priesthood of all believers ◦ primary and secondary texts

The Age of ExplorationThe Age of Exploration ◦ literal placement of

Garden of Eden ◦ reading the Bible as

factual history rather than myth

Myth?

• Widely held belief that provides meaning and understanding for a culture

• No use of “true” or “not true” in definition

• Example: The “Literacy Myth”

Literacy Myth

• Literacy contributes to success & progress of individual & culture

• True or not true?

• Our culture upholds it

“The Literacy Myth”

• Literacy contributes to success & progress of individual & culture

• Challenges: – What is literacy?

• Functional literacy vs. critical literacy

– What is success?• Financial, spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual

– What is progress?• Buildings, bridges, roads, computers

The Literacy Myth & the culture of the Geneva Bible

• How has our understanding of the production & function of this text changed?

• What does it say of functional & critical literacy?

• Authority figures?

• Ways of reading?

• Sources of knowledge?

Next time:

• Responses: groups 2 & 3

• Zuni creation account– Compare Zuni account to Geneva account– Use intro to help– How do appearance & content make you feel &

why?

Next time:

• Columbus’s journals

– Who are his authority figures?– What are his sources of knowledge?– How does his writing reflect the Geneva Bible?– Would you want to be at a party with him?

Why?