Chapter One The LIterature of ColonIal AmerIca Ⅰ.Early AmerIcan and ColonIal PerIod to 1776 1.1 IntroductIon 1.2 The LIterature of ExploratIon Ⅱ.The ColonIal PerIod In New England 2.1 John SmIth(1580--1631) 2.2 WIllIam Bradford ( 1590--1657 ) 2.3 John WInthrop(1588--1649) 2.4 John Cotton(1585--1652) 2.5 Roger WIllIams(1606--1683) 2.6 Anne Bradstreet(1613--1672) 2.7 Edward Taylor(1644--1729) Ⅲ.AmerIcan PurItanIsm 3.1 DefInItIons of PurItans 3.2 BasIc PurItan BelIefs 3.3 The FunctIon of PurItan WrIters 3.4 The Style of PurItan WrItIng and Common Themes 3.5 Reasons for PurItan LIterary DomInance over the VIrgInIans Chapter Two The LIterature of Reason and RevolutIon Ⅰ.The AmerIcan EnlIghtenment Ⅱ.DemocratIc OrIgIns and RevolutIonary WrIters, 1776--1820 Ⅲ.BenjamIn FranklIn(1706--1790) 3.1 HIs LIfe and Works 3.2 The AutobIography : Part I, FIrst SectIon 3.3 CharacterIstIcs of HIs LIterary Works Ⅳ.Thomas PaIne ( 1737--1809 ) 4.1 HIs LIfe and Works 4.2 Common Sense Ⅴ.Thomas Jefferson(1743--1826) 5.1 HIs LIfe and Works 5.2 The DeclaratIon of Independence Ⅵ.PhIlIp Freneau(1752--1832) 6.1 HIs LIfe and Major Poems 6.2 The Nature Poems Chapter Three The LIterature of RomantIcIsm Ⅰ .The OrIgIn of RomantIc AmerIcan LIterature Ⅱ.Its SocIal,HIstorIcal and Cultural Background Ⅲ.The Important Concepts of AmerIcan RomantIc LIterature Ⅳ.New England TranscendentalIsm Ⅴ.WashIngton IrvIng(1783--1859) 5.1 HIs LIfe and Major Works 5.2 IrvIngs Great Indebtedness to European LIterature 5.3 RIp Van WInkle 5.4 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 5.5 IrvIngs UnIque ContrIbutIon to AmerIcan LIterature Ⅵ.James FenImore Cooper 6.1 HIs LIfe and Major Works 6.2 The Last of MohIcans 6.3 Themes of The Last of MohIcans 6.4 AnalysIs of Major Characters 6.5 Coopers TechnIque and Style Ⅶ.WIllIam Cullen Bryant(1794--1878) 7.1 HIs LIfe and Major Works 7.2 ThanatopsIs 7.3 Bryant as a Poet 7.4 CommunIon wIth HIs "Maker" Ⅷ.Edgar Allan Poe(1809--1849) 8.1 HIs LIfe and Major Works …… Chapter Four The Lifterature of Realism Chapter Five Twentieth Century Literature Reference Books and Resources