ENG 201: Southern Literature |
ObjectivesBy the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
AssignmentRead an excerpt from The History of the Dividing Line (31-34); A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled (37-41); and an excerpt from Notes on the Present State of Virginia (41-54). Think Fast: Respond
to the questions I assign you in classes. These questions generally will cover objective information,
such as names, dates, and terms. Presentation: Enlightenment (Professor Canada) Cooperative Learning: Discuss one of the “Questions for
Discussion” with the other members of your group. Discussion: During
this time, we will discuss the insights and questions that have emerged
during our “Think Fast” exercise, my presentation, and cooperative learning. Conferences: During
these one-on-one conferences, I will review some of your writing, orally quiz
you on lesson objectives, and field your questions. Think Again: Write your own response to one of the “Questions for Discussion.” IdentificationsMake sure you know the meaning and significance of each of the following:
Resources
“Charlottesville,
Virginia” contains notes from my visit to Thomas Jefferson’s home this
summer. Virginia’s James
River Plantations features a picture of Westover, the home
where William Byrd lived in Virginia. PAL:
Perspectives in American Literature – Research and Reference Guide: Chapter
2: Early American Literature – William Byrd (1674-1744) features a
picture of Byrd and information about his work. Monticello contains notes and pictures relating to Thomas Jefferson and his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Updated September 1, 2003
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IntroductionHaving surveyed the landscape ahead of us and visited our
first writer, John Smith, we travel on to the eighteenth century, a period
known as the Enlightenment, and visit two prominent Virginians: William Byrd
and Thomas Jefferson. NotesBackground
The eighteenth century was a period of exciting developments in Europe and America. In the field of science, Sir Isaac Newton had already laid the groundwork for understanding the laws of physics with his work on gravity and light in the previous century and was still at work in the early part of the eighteenth century. Later, Joseph Priestley and Edward Jenner made important advancements in chemistry and medicine respectively. It was during this century, furthermore, that the world saw a number of important inventions, including the mercury thermometer (1714), steam engine (1769), hot-air balloon (1783), gas lighting (1792), and cotton gin (1793). In the realm of politics, the American Revolution (1775-1783) separated the English colonies in North America from the Mother Country, and leaders such as Thomas Jefferson adapted the ideas of the English philosopher John Locke to a style of government that would prove influential in other parts of the world. Later, the French Revolution (1789) destroyed the monarchy of France. In the world of the arts and humanities, the eighteenth century was the age of musicians Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1758-1793), writers Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), and philosophers Denis Diderot (1713-1784) and Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (1694-1778). Indeed, it is no wonder that the period has been dubbed “the Enlightenment,” a term that refers to the tremendous illumination of the workings of nature and humanity. Many of the leading intellectuals of the time emphasized the extent to which humans could understand and control their surroundings and their lives. Control was also important in the artistic realm, where musicians and writers produced highly polished works marked by attention to order and balance. Many values of the Enlightenment can be seen in the writings of two of the South’s most accomplished writers from the period, William Byrd II and Thomas Jefferson. Both lived in the southern colony of Virginia, the home of huge tobacco plantations, hot summers, a relatively small number of well-to-do landowners such as George Washington, and a far greater number of slaves working these landowners’ plantations. Both Byrd and Jefferson belonged to the upper class of well-educated, refined Virginia gentlemen who enjoyed lives of leisure and luxury. The son of a wealthy Virginia landowner, William Byrd II (1674-1744) had strong connections to England. He traveled there for an education when he was seven and spent much of his early life there studying law and interacting with leading English intellectuals. Even after he returned to Virginia for good in 1726, he retained an air of English sensibility. His most famous works, A History of the Dividing Line and The Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover, exhibit a witty, urbane style characteristic of leading British writers. A noteworthy aspect of Byrd’s style, or way of writing, is his formal diction, or choice of words. Both of his major works also contain a healthy dose of satire, a form of literature designed to poke fun at people or institutions. Unlike much of the literature produced by the Puritans in New England, Byrd’s works are largely secular—that is, they deal with themes outside the realm of religion. In all of these respects, they are characteristic of a dominant kind of Enlightenment literature known as belles-lettres, a kind of polished literature designed to evoke pleasure rather than to teach readers or to improve their morals. Born the year before Byrd died, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was in some ways Byrd’s successor. Like Byrd, he was the son of a well-to-do Virginia landowner, was well-educated, and wrote in a highly refined style and from a secular perspective. Jefferson, however, became much more famous than Byrd, thanks to his leading role in American politics. His most famous work, in fact, is a short political document that has come to be known as the Declaration of Independence, which announced the intended separation of the British colonies in America from England. In both its refined style and its celebration of humans’ control of their destiny, the Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, embodies principles of the Enlightenment. Jefferson’s other major writing is Notes on the State of Virginia, a very different sort of work that describes the agriculture, people, and other aspects of the colony where Jefferson spent much of his life. Questions for DiscussionWilliam Byrd1. Style: Characterize Byrd’s style. Consider features such as diction and style. 2. Satire: Identify some satirical passages in The History of the Dividing Line. What is the source of the humor in these passages? 3. Race: How does Byrd depict people of different races? What might have motivated his depictions? Thomas Jefferson4. Enlightenment: Identify passages in Jefferson’s works that reflect principles of the Enlightenment. 5. Nonfiction: What do Jefferson’s selection of material and approach to this material in Notes on the State of Virginia reveal about his worldview and the worldview of his readers? ConclusionIn this lesson, we looked at two of the South’s most accomplished writers during the period known as the Enlightenment, William Byrd II and Thomas Jefferson. Things will get quite a bit darker in our next lesson, when we pay a visit to the South’s leading Romantic writer, Edgar Allan Poe. |