Page 1 of 5
ENGL 201
N : C J S (1580-1631LECTURE OTES APTAIN OHN MITH
(
".Author of "the first English Book written in America
Contribution to the Colony
Arrived in Virginia in 1607 to found Jamestown·
(Became President of the Colony (1608-09·
(Returned to England (1609·
(Returned to explore New England (1614·
(Returned to England permanently (1615·
Reputation and Influence
America’s first important historian·
Master of promotional writing·
Established the Indian Captivity Narrative·
Literary Works
(A True Relation…of Virginia (1608·
(A Description of New England (1616·
(The General History of VA & N. England (1624·
(The True Travels, Adventures, & Observations of Captain John Smith (1630·
Works as Exploration/Travel Literature
Allusion to 100's of variable travel reports/"relations," such as
classical accounts like Pliny's Natural History (1601), which records strange lands
and marvelous animals
Thomas Hariot's A Brief and True report of the New Found Land of Virginia ·
((1588
(John Brereton's A Brief and True Discovery of the North Part of Virginia (1602
Literary Style
".Plain Style: He aimed to write for "plain men's satisfaction
(Motives for Writing (Advantages of migration
Economic reasons: employment without taxes and fines; acquisition of property
·
·
·
Page 2 of 5
ENGL 201
.and wealth; rag-to-riches
Religious reasons: evangelism·
.Patriotic/Political reasons: colonization of lands for England, quest for freedom
.(Recreational purposes (‘vain” pleasure·
Personal profit: to advertise his services·
·
Page 3 of 5
ENGL 201
Common Themes
New lands, New people·
Triumph of the European Hero·
Description of New World geography and advantages of immigration·
Riches & pleasures of New World·
New World plentitude versus deprivation and poverty of the Old World·
Themes and motives as a critique of England
Indirectly criticizes the ills of European society—hard landlords, high rent, ·
deprivations, and difficulties of upward social mobility for ordinary people due to
.stratified Aristocratic society
Indirectly criticizes idle youth wasting away in England·
Showcases the riches and pleasures of New World in contrast to the poverty and
deprivations in England
.Highlights freedom in the New World versus the restraints in England·
Sources: Draws on two ideas/images current in England at the time
Idea that America is for hardworking people(A
Image of the New World as paradise(B
:Land of opportunities/ unique qualities/ and abundance·
Animals, furs, plants, fruits, minerals, & resources·
Building materials·
Good air & purest salt & water·
Employment·
Low rent·
Fertile land·
Year round supply of fish·
Mines: gold, silver·
Opportunities for colonizing success·
(Delightful coasts; recreation/pleasures (pastoral image·
Sources of Paradisiacal Image
(Draws upon ancient myths (gardens of joy, eternal life, & riches
Garden of the Hesperides of Greek myth·
The Elysian fields described by Homer·
·
Page 4 of 5
ENGL 201
The island of the blessed, described by Hesiod, Horace, & Pindar·
Atlantis, see Plato's Timaeus and Critias·
The Fortunate Isles, described in the voyage of St. Brendan·
The enchanted garden of Renaissance literature·
Implications of paradisiacal image and place of enterprise
New World is for human's exploitation·
(Treasure to be enjoyed (physical enjoyment·
(Source of abundant materials (material benefit·
For earthly fulfillment·
·Hard work and enterprise, not idling
"Place for self-made individuals, "rag-to-riches·
(Recreation & leisure (Pastoral setting·
Pastoral is a genre of literature expressing peace, simplicity, and virtues of an )
innocent, idyllic life; other terms for pastoral are idyll, eclogue, and bucolic
.(literature
John Smith and the Epic Hero Tradition
:Similarities between Smith's life and those feats traditionally ascribed to epic heroes
Humble birth and heroic struggles·
Leadership roles·
Struggle with potent forces·
Triumphs through bravery, strength, guile, and cleverness·
.Mysterious wound and permanent withdrawal·
Concluding thoughts and questions
Smith’s list of plants, animals, building materials, and minerals resembles mercantile
catalogs designed to attract business and make an exploration report believable and
desirable. Why, in your opinion, did earlier readers accept as truth such tales of exotic
animals, cities of gold, and lands of eternal youth that modern readers find so easy to
?disbelieve
Compare Smith's idea of the New World wilderness as a place of abundant resources to
be exploited to the modern environmentalist idea that the wilderness is a reservoir not to
.be exploited for material gain
Smith uses ancient stories that blend myth and historical fact, and adopts the long
Page 5 of 5
ENGL 201
tradition of exaggerated exploration reports in his "Description." With this in mind,
.speculate on his reliability as a historian
Explain how the self-portrait that Smith presented to his readers shows him as closely
resembling the traditional hero of folk/epic literature
NOTE: A third image of America as a New Jerusalem--as a place of religious salvation,
spiritual testing and preparation for a paradise to be achieved in heaven--is prominent in
the works of Pilgrims and Puritans, but not in the works of Smith, who viewed the New
?World as a paradise on earth. How might this explain his purpose for writing
