Puritan plain style of writing – Flashcards

Genre features

Early literature written by Puritans in America often appeared as first person narratives in the form of journals and diaries

Early American colonists wrote their accounts of immigration, settling in America, and day-to-day life in journals to pass their stories down. Many Puritans also wrote letters to send back to Europe to family and friends they left behind

Very little fiction appeared during this period; Puritans valued realistic writing with an emphasis on religious themes

Features

Puritans lived a simple life based on the concepts of humility and simplicity

Influence comes from their religious beliefs and the Bible

Wearing elaborate clothing or having conceited thoughts offended Puritans

Puritan writing mimics these cultural values in its plain writing style

Puritans wrote directly to the point and avoided much of the elaborate writing style that became popular in Europe

Simple sentences with common language allowed Puritans to communicate information without feeling like they were drawing attention to themselves