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LITR 4326 Early American Literature Model Assignments |
Final Exam Essays 2016 Sample answers for 2e. Teaching multiple texts through intertextuality and historicism . . . |
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Eric
Howell
9 May
2016
Intertextuality and Historicism as Seen Through Early American
Literature
An
aspect of Early American Literature that I thoroughly enjoyed was the teaching
of multiple texts through intertextuality and historicism. On the first day of
class, I felt a little out of place when Dr. White explained the vast multitude
of texts we would be covering within the semester. For myself, I had never
experienced such an approach to literature, usually focusing on one or two
literary pieces throughout the semester, and immediately associated the course
as a daunting, arduous task, required in order to receive a degree. Luckily,
this course was anything but arduous, and I believe it is due to the method of
intertextuality and historicism, which Dr. White utilizes.
Although the literary works covered within Early American Literature are
of grand importance, these works are not often recognizable without a historical
briefing or introduction. However, after such an introduction has been made,
these texts can easily be digested and connected with other works of their era.
Through historicism and intertextuality, these texts are made relevant in modern
times, providing readers with an opportunity to reinterpret the challenges of
the past and gain insight from these passages in relation to the present time
period.
For example, Jonathan Edwards’
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and Benjamin Franklin’s
Remarks on the Savages of America
provide readers with much more than just examples of early American Literature.
Although the two passages are starkly different, they offer readers a visual
representation of old, traditional thinking and new, exotic freethinking and the
change happening within America during this particular time period. In literary
terms, the two writings can be seen as an example where American writers were
and where heading during the time of the American Enlightenment with Edwards
adopting a hard-hitting narrative approach, while Franklin begins to play around
with lighter satirical and comedic side to address dire issues of the time. As
Edwards clings to the more traditional, religious approach and Franklin peruses
a progressive, enlightened approach, we are reminded of our current state of
affairs, concerning the “left” and the “right.”
By exploring these two particular texts at the same time, students are
given an opportunity to see a larger portion of “the big picture,” including
opposing styles and viewpoints, which allow for a more complete sense of the Age
of Reason in America. Through intertextuality, we can see that, although these
texts may not be directly influenced by one another, they do in fact play a more
intricate role in the world of American literature, past and present.
Another set of texts, which feed off of one another, are the novels of
Susanna Rowson and Charles Brockden Brown. These two particular literary works
carry depth and weight in the sense that they are both regarded as two of
America’s premier novels, with Rowson’s
Charlotte Temple becoming a best seller, and Brown’s
Edgar Huntly becoming an American
classic while setting the tone for the
gothic era. While examining these two novels, one can see that these works
connect and relate to one another in various aspects.
Charlotte Temple, the main character of Rowson’s bestseller, is a
determined, admirable young woman bound for virtuousness. However, she falls
victim to love, and her world is forever changed. As her love for Montraville,
her lover, creeps in, she is wisped away to America under the spellbinding power
of love. Throughout her passage and story, Charlotte faces a moral dilemma of
honoring her mother and father, or symbolically
God, or giving in to her own desires
of freedom and temptation. Rowson paints a moral lesson with her words,
elaborately expressing the consequences and effects of the decisions we make
within our lives. Charlotte, the example of straying from the preverbal moral
compass, is stricken with heartache, torment, and ultimately death.
Although gravely different, Brown’s
Edgar Huntly, Or, Memoirs of a
Sleepwalker offers readers with similarities to
Charlotte Temple when viewed with
intertextuality and historicism. In Brown’s novel, the main character, Edgar
Huntly, faces moral dilemma within himself concerning human nature. Huntly an
established Quaker, who morally despises bloodshed, sets out to solve the murder
of his beloved friend, Waldegrave. Through his journey, Hunlty is troubled by
the idea of a sleepwalking man, Clithero. Huntly believe Clithero to be the
murder, yet through his own sleepwalking catastrophes, discovers later this
assumption to be false. Awakening in a dark, mysterious cave, Huntly is faced
with the dilemma to shed blood and kill three Indians. After a series of events,
Huntly believes one of the Indians he had slain could have potentially murdered
Waldegrave. Finding solace and comfort in this, Huntly’s conscious feels
justified that his actions, although straying from his moral compass, had a
higher purpose.
These two novels bridge the gap from the Enlightenment era to the
Romantic era in American history, while marking the beginning of the American
novelist. Both novels play on readers’ emotions by utilizing moral dilemmas and
tragedies to evoke a sense of themselves within the novels. The two novels also
continue the idea of faith, deeply rooted within their works. By viewing these
passages in a sense of historicism, students can see the similarities within the
two, as well as the romantic era.
Although reading many different passages throughout the semester may
detract from the overall importance of a specific literary work, much benefit is
gained when examining the scope of the “bigger picture.” From intertextuality
and historicism, students can understand far more viewpoints and perspective
versus focusing on one or two significant texts. Through these methods, a more
diverse and multicultural curriculum can be established.
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