MEG-06 Block 1 Summary | Contexts of American Literature

Here you will get the detailed summary of IGNOU MEG 6 Block 1 – Contexts of American Literature.

We have provided the summary of all units starting from unit 1 to unit 5.

Introduction

IGNOU MEG-6 Block 1, titled Contexts of American Literature, examines the diverse historical, cultural, and ideological frameworks that shaped the emergence and evolution of American literature. The block begins with a deep exploration of the Puritan worldview, which played a foundational role in early American writing. It goes on to trace the transformation of Puritan ideals over time, the development of their literary contributions, and the rise of alternative voices and perspectives. The final unit contextualizes the shift from colonial to federal ideologies, particularly during the American Enlightenment. This comprehensive overview equips readers with the critical background needed to understand American literature not as a fixed canon, but as a dynamic response to historical and ideological forces.

Unit 1 – The Puritan Context

This unit explores the Puritan roots of early American literature, focusing on the beliefs, values, and socio-religious framework that shaped colonial writing.

Key themes include:

The Puritan migration to America as a quest to build a “city upon a hill” — a moral utopia guided by divine principles.
Emphasis on Providence, predestination, self-examination, and community discipline.
Literature was often didactic, meant to serve religious purposes and moral instruction.

Literary features:

Plain style of writing, avoidance of ornamentation.
Genres included sermons, diaries, spiritual autobiographies, and religious treatises.

This unit sets the foundation for understanding how American literature originated within a deeply religious and communal context, aimed at spiritual introspection and societal order.

Unit 2 – The Consolidation and Dispersal of the Puritan Utopia

This unit examines how the Puritan ideal evolved over time, including its gradual decline and fragmentation.

Phases of transformation:

Early consolidation involved establishing theocratic governance, educational institutions like Harvard, and strict moral codes.
Internal dissent, external pressures, and generational shifts led to disillusionment and decline of Puritan dominance.

Factors contributing to dispersal:

Rise of commercial values and secularism.
Conflicts like the Salem witch trials exposed the dangers of religious extremism.
The Great Awakening brought a new kind of spiritual enthusiasm, different from orthodox Puritanism.

This unit explains how the Puritan vision fractured over time, making space for diverse ideological and literary expressions in American culture.

Unit 3 – The Puritans as Literary Artists

While Puritan literature is often seen as austere and utilitarian, this unit highlights the aesthetic and literary merits of Puritan writings.

Major literary figures:

Anne Bradstreet – one of the first poets of colonial America; blended personal emotion with religious reflection.
Edward Taylor – known for intricate metaphysical poetry with rich imagery.
Cotton Mather – prolific writer who combined history, theology, and science in works like Magnalia Christi Americana.

Literary characteristics:

Use of biblical allusions, symbolism, and typology (interpreting events as symbolic of scriptural truths).
Tension between earthly existence and spiritual aspiration.

This unit challenges the simplistic notion of Puritans as anti-artistic, showing that their work laid the groundwork for an emerging American literary voice.

Unit 4 – Some “Other” Contexts of American Literature

This unit focuses on non-Puritan influences and marginalized voices that also shaped American literary history.

Alternative contexts include:

Native American oral traditions: myths, legends, and storytelling that preceded and coexisted with colonial writing.
African American slave narratives: such as those by Olaudah Equiano or later by Frederick Douglass.
Women’s writings: letters, journals, and autobiographies reflecting domestic, spiritual, and public lives.
Immigrant experiences: diverse European voices that contributed to pluralism in American thought.

The unit emphasizes that American literature is not monolithic; it emerged from multiple, sometimes conflicting, cultural streams.

Unit 5 – From the Colonial to the Federal: The Contexts of the American Enlightenment

This unit explores the ideological transition from colonial religious orthodoxy to Enlightenment rationalism that coincided with America’s political transformation.

Key Enlightenment values:

Reason, empiricism, secularism, humanism, and individual liberty.
A growing belief in human progress, natural rights, and constitutional democracy.

Major figures:

Benjamin Franklin – championed self-improvement and pragmatism.
Thomas Jefferson – articulated Enlightenment ideals in political theory.
Thomas Paine – wrote Common Sense, blending political rhetoric with Enlightenment logic.

Impact on literature:

Rise of essays, pamphlets, autobiographies, and political documents as literary forms.
Shift from theological to civic and secular themes.

This unit marks the birth of a distinctly American voice, rooted not in divine purpose but in rational thought, democratic values, and civic virtue.