Lecture 1 : The "New World", wilderness and First Encounters

Question 1

New World VS. Old World

Answer 1

• European settlers arrived in america in 1492; believeing they had reach East Asia.
• The expedition was financed by Spain’s Monarchs( Fernand and Isabella ) to claim land; acquire wealth; spread christianity.
• The “New World” symbolized a blank slate for europeans to project their desires; values and mindset.

Question 2

Christopher Columbus

Answer 2

• claimed and rename islands, disregardind their previous inhabitans
• Used hyperboles to emphasize nature’s abundance; viewing America as a divine reward, the Promised Land ; a fantasy
• European settlers saw nature as a source of prosperity, a reflection of god’s creation; and a potentialcorrupter of the human soul.

Question 3

attitudes towards the Wilderness

Answer 3

varied perceptions:
1. a well spring of prosperity
2. ressources
3. awe-inspiring majesty (= Breathtaking grandeur or stunning magnificience )
4. perilous hostility
5. disordely sinfulness

Question 4

Capitain John Smith

Answer 4

• Founded James Fort, the inaugural permanent English settlement in Virginia
• Portrayed as a valiant hero in ” The General History of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles”; dipicting Native Americans as intellectually inferior and nature as savage

Question 5

Mary Rowlandson

Answer 5

Employed a binary opposiion :

1. ” us”
   colonist characterized with humanity, virtue, resilience
2. ” them”
   indians dispicted as montrous, devoid of Crhistian vertue, symbolizing evil, and antitheticalto civilisationand decency .

Question 6

Chief Pontiac and Native Strategies of Resistance

Answer 6

• Orchestrated resistance against British occupation culminating in Pontiac’s War (1763-1766), advocating for separatism.
• This conflict prompted the Proclamation of 1763, compelling the British to reconsider Indigenous relations by banning colonial settlements along the Appalachian Mountains.

Question 7

Literary Concepts:

Answer 7

Explored binary opposition, hyperbole, metaphor, and embedded narrative to elucidate diverse perceptions.

Initial encounters, conflicts, and representations between Europeans and Native Americans, shaping early American literature.

Question 8

in a nutshell

Answer 8

The syllabus look into examining the multifaceted perceptions, initial interactions, conflicts, and literary portrayals between European settlers and Native Americans, illuminating the foundational aspects of early American literature and their socio-cultural implications.