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ENGL 201
LECTURE NOTES: WILLIAM BRADFORD (1590-1657)
Carefully read the introductory material on William Bradford in your textbook. Note his
biography, contributions to the colony he founded, reputation and influence, and his major work,
Of Plimoth Plantation, which was published in 1856. The book is divided into two:
•
Book One
1. Comprises about one-fifth of the history
2. Is Chronological
3. Highlights “Principal Things”
•
Book Two
1. Comprises four-fifths of the history
2. Organized by years rather than chapters
3. Records Puritan Colonial history
4. Contains two large clusters of topics
5. Records obstacles overcome; is optimistic
The narrative documents the Separatists' Pilgrimage. These were Puritans who separated from
the Church of England and traveled first to Holland and later to North America in quest of
religious freedom. They are called Pilgrims because of this pilgrimage to what they believed to
be their Promised Land, their New Jerusalem.
Bradford Wrote the Narrative for a Number of Reasons:
•
To record the Pilgrim's experiences; therefore, Bradford is a hagiographer; he
memorializes the pilgrims.
•
Emphasize the cost of godliness
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Illustrate the difficult choices they faced
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Prove and justify the wisdom in the choices they made.
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Show the importance of their achievement
•
Document their heroic struggles
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Express God's will for the pilgrims
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Confirm their place among the "elect"
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Assert the unifying ideals of the pilgrims
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Document the debt owed to God for preserving them
The Structure/Plot of Text is Tripartite (i.e. it has three main divisions):
Part 1 Tells the Story of the Pilgrims from England to Holland
•
Persecution in England and life in Holland
•
Reasons for leaving Holland: war, pollution, shrinking congregation, economic
hardships, licentious Dutch life and its threat to separatist youths, spread the gospel to
new world, belief that Christ will make the new world the site of His 2nd coming
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Part 2: Departure from Holland and Experiences at Sea
Uses conventions of travel literature
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The fierce storms of an ocean passage
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Temptation to return home "rather than to cast themselves into a desperate and
inevitable peril"
•
Outbreak of dissension
Part 3: Arrival and Life in the New World
•
Struggle to survive in a hostile land
•
Confrontation with strange peoples
When they arrived in the New World, Bradford described the American wilderness as "hideous
and desolate," full of "wild beasts and wild men." He believed the wilderness is a place of trial
and testing rather than a place of ease and plenty - or of social and economic opportunity.
Bradford’s Narrative is Like Old Testament and Traditional Epic. He
•
Explains the origins of a people
•
Describes their wanderings, struggles, and triumphs
•
Points out the cruelty of their enemies
•
Concludes with eventual triumph of an oppressed and suffering minority group
He Concentrates on what he Calls "Principal Things":
a. Important details of pilgrimage
b. Divine purpose of pilgrimage
c. Need for piety or Godly/holy living, and
d. God's presence and His providence (providential history)
The Literary Significance of the Focus on “Principal Things”
•
Makes the text somewhat episodic, not necessarily a sequential narrative history.
•
Suggests a seeming recurrence of biblical events. It alludes to the Exodus of the Jews to
the Promised Land, and hints at idea that history repeats itself; therefore, history need not
be set in a narrow chronological scheme.
Sources of Bradford's Style
•
Bradford was influenced by Calvinistic aesthetics. This is the idea that in life as in
art, decoration/complexity should be shunned in favor of clarity or simplicity so that
the least educated could understand. He incorporated Doctrines of Puritanism and
Calvinism and followed the five points enunciated by John Calvin:
1. Total depravity: no human has the capability to achieve her or his salvation. The
Pilgrims perceived themselves as a “lowly” people and often denigrated
themselves.
2. Predestined election: only the "elect" will be saved. They perceived themselves
as God’s “elect.”
3. Limited atonement: the cross assures salvation to the "elect."
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4. Irresistible grace: God's grace is freely bestowed and can neither be earned nor
refused. They felt they did not deserve God’s grace, but accepted it nevertheless.
Even though they faced challenges, they felt compelled to obey God’s direction
and guidance to the New World.
5. Perseverance of the saints: The "elect" will persevere to their full reward of
bliss.
Other Qualities One Finds in the Narrative are:
•
Rigid morality and dedication to their religion (Puritanism)
•
Material success as a result of doctrine of conscientious thrift and hard work
•
Self-reliance (God helps those who help themselves)
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Democratic liberty. Quest for religious freedom
•
Interest in learning. Bible reading and education as necessities and foundation of life.
•
Bradford also cites the Bible extensively, especially Old Testament passages, Proverbs, Ruth,
Lamentations, etc. He describes
a) Their spiritual attacks, suffering, poverty, and sickness as God's loving chastisement
and
b) Power of God to deliver and raise a lowly people
•
Bradford is also influenced by classical literature, especially rhetorical figures of speech,
such as
1. Dualism or Juxtaposition of Opposites.
Example: Separatists' faith vrs. Chaos spawned by the devil
Note: These juxtapositions suggest Bradford's view of life as a dynamic interaction of faith and
evil aggression. In other words, the devil/evil, as antagonist, tries to fight against and destroy
Christians, children of God, but the latter overcome and triumph through God’s grace and power.
2. Alliteration, especially in chap 1
Examples: "Root and rise"; "Bloody and barbarous"; "Poor and peaceable"; "Fain and flee."
3. Doublet (i.e. two words joined by "and" to present a single idea; see chap 1)
Examples: "Godly and judicious"; "Covered and overspread"; "Wars and oppositions";
"Pride and ambition"; "Canons and decrees"; "Hunted and persecuted"; etc.
Importance of Bradford’s Use of Doublets
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To add gravity and to emphasize, elaborate, and affirm
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Echo the parallelism used in the Bible (Job 9:9; 38:31; Amos 5:5; 8:6; Isaiah 1-10)
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Echo the rhythm and incantation of the spoken word, and
•
Differentiate between what is serious and less serious
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Concluding Thoughts and Question
William Bradford described the American wilderness as "hideous and desolate," full of "wild
beasts and wild men." He believed the wilderness as a place of trial and testing rather than a
place of ease and plenty - or of social and economic opportunity. Compare and contrast
Bradford's and John Smith’s views of the American wilderness. Why, in your opinion, will two
pioneers perceive the land so differently?
Throughout his narrative, Bradford uses more reference from the OT than from the NT (about
70% to 30%). Account for this disparity. Consider the importance to the pilgrims of the
parallels they found between their experiences and those of the Jews described in the OT
Discuss the usefulness (to the pilgrims) of the idea that their distresses were not signs of
rejection by the Lord but special evidence of God’s loving chastisement, His Fatherly concern
for His chosen people?
How would you compare Bradford and Smith as historians? Who is more believable, and why?
In spite of the fact that Bradford’s History was probably not intended for publication, his prose
style has been highly praised by critics. What points of literary excellence can you find in
Bradford’s History?
Discuss Bradford's History as an early statement of the popular idea that Americans are a race set
apart, a nation whose creation was divinely ordained.
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