The Influence Of Quakerism On American Literature From The 17th Century To The 19th Century

Protestantism is the most important component of the American multi-religious belief system.Quakerism,as an important branch of Protestantism in a specific historical period,not only developed the general Christian ideology,but also highlighted its own unique characteristics.Its doctrines and lifestyle had a profound influence on American society and culture.The thesis intends to analyze,in light of literary sociology and the timeline of Quaker development,the transformation of Quakerism and its influence on contemporaneous American literature from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century,trying to present all aspects of Quaker influence on American literature comprehensively.The thesis features an analysis of Quaker influence on American literature under the interactive framework of a literary text and its historical context.Based on the strength of historical evidence,the thesis divides the influence into explicit influence and implicit influence.The former involves those writers who were either Quakers,or friends or the immediate descendants of Quakers,and whom historical evidences proved that had indeed been influenced by Quakerism.The latter involves non-Quaker writers whose literary texts showed distinct traces of Quaker influence,or whose Quaker influence was mentioned in other texts.The tortuous development of Quakerism in North America had a significant influence on contemporaneous American literature.The middle to the end of the 17 th century was the founding period of Quakerism,during which its wide spread resulted in the abuse and persecution of Quakers.William Penn,the prominent Quaker leader,created many Quaker classics that strongly condemned religious persecution and called for religious tolerance and freedom;such classics were employed as the main publicity tool for Quakers.The eighteenth century was the heyday of Quakerism when Quakers were committed to a series of activities such as opposing slavery and defending Indian rights.Quaker writers like John Woolman and Charles Brown whipped slavery in their works and advocated Quaker’s idea of equality for all.The nineteenth century was a period of integration of Quakerism when its thoughts and practices gradually merged into the mainstream American culture.Although the influence of Quakerism as a sect was waning,its implicit influence on 19th-century American literature was increasing.Emerson’s idea of abolitionism,feminism and religious freedom,and Whitman’s understanding of Inner Light and his support for social democracy are literary manifestations of Quaker influence.This thesis systematically summarizes the transformation of Quakerism,as an important cultural force,and its influence on contemporaneous American literature.It is intended to be a useful supplement to domestic American literature research and an enrichment of the cultural discourse of American literature.