资源描述：
《常耀信美国文学简史电子书》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、CHAPTER1ColonialAmericaAmericanPuritanismThesettlementoftheNorthAmericancontinentbytheEnglishbeganintheearlypartoftheseventeenthcentury.ThefirstsettlerswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthemPuritans.TheycametoAmericaoutofvariousreasons,butitshouldberememberedth
2、attheywereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheycarriedwiththemtoAmericaacodeofvalues,aphilosophyoflife,andapointofview,which,intime,tookrootintheNewWorldandbecamewhatispopularlyknownasAmericanPuritanism.AdominantfactorinAmericanlife,AmericanPuri
3、tanismwasoneofthemostenduringshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.Ithasbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,ratherthanasetoftenets,somuchapartofthenationalculturalatmospherethattheAmericansbreathe,thatwemaystatewithadegreeofsafetythat,withoutsomeunderstandingofPurita
4、nism,therecanbenorealunderstandingofAmericancultureandliterature.AlthoughtheEnglishgovernmentsawthecolonizationoftheNorthAmericancontinentasameansofalleviatingitsownproblems,alargenumberofthesettlersthemselveslefthomeinthefirstyearsoftheseventeenthcenturyinearnestquestofanidealoftheirown
5、.Itistruethattheywishedtoescapereligiouspersecution-andtheEnglishgovernmentregardeditsAmericancolonyasanidealdumpinggroundfortheundesirables,buttheywerealsodeterminedtofindaplacewheretheycouldworshipinthewaytheythoughttrueChristiansshould.Whentheyarrivedandsawthevirginforests,thevirginla
6、nd,andthevastexpanseofwildernessthatstretchedmilesaroundbeforethem,theybecameawarethatGodmusthavesentthemthereforadefinitepurposeandthat,asGod'schosenpeople,theyweremeanttoreestablishacommonwealthbasedontheteachingsoftheBible,restorethelostparadise,andbuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEd
7、en.Whatevertheythoughtmightjeopardizetheirendeavortobuildtheir"CityofGodonearth"was,therefore,nottobetolerated.Hence,forinstance,theruthlesspersecutionofdissentingindividualsanddenominationsfortheirheresies.TheAmericanPuritans,liketheirbrothersbackinEngland,wereidealists,
