Elisabeth Scoggin

Overall Experience with Early American Literature

          I came into Early American Literature not knowing what to expect. I guess I figured it would be a class that had readings from many years ago. Early American literature to me meant early writings from some of the first Americans to come to America. The ones that I assumed that were included in this course were writings from the Puritans. Those are one of the first groups of people think of when they think of early America. To my surprise readings such as the Bible and The Declaration of Independence were included in the syllabus. Not many, if any people consider the Bible or the Declaration to be literature. That just goes to show one of the many new things that I learned in this class.

          The two most important objectives that I have learned through this class are, gaining literary and cultural knowledge of historical periods, and also learning about North American and U.S. texts and cultures and making them matter now. These are two aspects in the course that I will take with me to future literature classes.

          Having to do research post was interesting. I challenged myself to look up a subject that I was curious about. I not only gained knowledge throughout my research on Our Lady of Guadalupe, but I also learned some interesting facts from other posts from my peers. I read about how women were educated in early America. That has sparked a new interest to me. I always find it fascinating how different people have learned throughout the years.

In the second half of the class, with the Mayflower Compact, U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and more, were by far the hardest to get through. Some parts were hard to read because of the legal language used. Many times I had to read something over and over again in order to fully understand the meaning of the words.

          Though it was tough at times to sit down and read such legal documents, it was a necessary part of the class. These writings are famous, and are still looked at today. Most of these are what makes America what it is now. These are still our laws, and they still apply to all of us. Why is this the first time that I have actually sat down and read these important documents? These are a prime example of how early literature is still accurate and applicable today.

          Another text that was included in this semester was Charlotte Temple. This was one that was more enjoyable to read because it seemed easier and had more of a flow to it. Charlotte Temple fell into the Romanticism era. Romanticism is not about the here and now, but it is more about something that is beyond or lost. It is about another reality to challenge or transform the everyday. It was one of the earlier novels of that time. What is interesting is how we can see throughout the years the change in the writing process. One aspect that I did not care for in the book was that there was little dialogue in it.

          As for Edgar Huntly, another reading that falls into the Romantic period, it too had little dialogue in it. Although it is considered Romantic, it is not considered to fall into the classical category. Brockden, tends to stagger away from the family scenes. There really are no social scenes, but rather more isolation throughout the book. This book deals more with the inside of the mind rather than people and the person. It seems to be the start to a new type of genre. It was not received with open arms because the people who have the time to read as a luxury are mainly women. This is not a typical “women’s book”.

          Transitioning from The Enlightenment and Age of Reason to the Beginnings of Romanticism was a nice change. Although it was a bit tough to get through, the Age of Reason is one of the most important periods of writings. We tend to enjoy the Romantic period more because people can relate to what they read and almost escape through it.

          Now knowing what type of literature fits what time periods of writing, helps me out a lot now. Before I had heard the Age of Reason, Romanticism and Renaissance many times, but never knew what they included or actually meant. Now knowing, it is easier to classify books and understand the writing style of the author.

On the Course in General

          Even though we were reminded numerous times that this course is still in development, I thought it was a fantastic class. I learned about many different authors that I would have never heard about otherwise. I read things like the Declaration of Independence which I would have never done. I learned about our founding fathers which is an important part in our history that tends to get overlooked at in a history class. I was forced to open up my mind to new concepts and ideas. I love doing that.

Personally, I loved the fact that all of the texts were online. We as students spend a good sum of money on textbooks; many of which we do not use again. We try to sell them back, and maybe get a couple bucks for them. Yes, the only negative side is not having page numbers, but I do not think that hurt the class in the least. I am very happy that we did not have to buy a huge anthology for this class. Those can be extremely heavy and tend to become overwhelming more than interesting. One thing that you did that was absolutely wonderful was your notes and annotations throughout the texts! I know it was a lot of work, but it was very helpful. It was almost as if you were right there reading it with me. I would have been lost without it.

Having the big screen was perfect for this class. If something was important and needed to be pointed out, the teacher or discussion leader was able to do it. That means we do not necessarily have to flip our pages in our books, but rather just look up. I was able to take great notes because I was not scrambling to try to find what they were discussing.

The only thing that I would suggest is a little more preview for the next reading. I like to know what to expect and a little background information about it. If I have a little prior knowledge before I read I tend to understand it better and see more of where the author is coming from.

All in all I thought this was a successful class. I came out knowing more than I went in with. To me, that is important! I like learning new things and not just hearing the same old things in a different way.