American Literature: Early Voices Flashcards

Grade 9 · English · Flashcards

Key terms and writers from the earliest periods of American literature.

Flashcards

Oral Tradition: Cultural stories, histories, and knowledge preserved and transmitted through speaking and memorization
Puritan Literature: Colonial writing (1600s–early 1700s) focused on faith, divine will, and plain, unadorned prose
Plain Style: Puritan preference for clear, simple writing — ornate language was seen as prideful
Anne Bradstreet: First published poet in colonial America; wrote personal religious poetry about faith, family, and loss
Edward Taylor: Puritan poet whose elaborate 'Preparatory Meditations' used extended metaphors to explore faith
Benjamin Franklin: Enlightenment writer; Autobiography established the self-made man myth in American culture
Thomas Paine: Revolutionary pamphleteer; Common Sense (1776) used plain language to argue for American independence
American Dream: The cultural belief that success is available to anyone through hard work, regardless of social origin
Extended Metaphor: A single comparison developed and sustained throughout an entire poem or passage
Typology: Puritan practice of reading God's messages in everyday events — a house fire or illness as divine communication
Washington Irving: Early national writer; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow — first major American fiction writer
Early National Period: Early 1800s American literature focused on national identity, American landscape, and frontier experience