-isms  The word –isms is used in ___________ and upper levels in ___________. It refers to the study of almost anything, the topic of study will have the suffix –ism.  For example, we are going to be reading and discussing Puritan literature. The study of Puritan literature is called _________________. This semester will be devoted to learning the –isms of American literature.

-isms  Here is a list of the –isms that we are going to study this semester:  Puritanism  ______________________ (Rationalism)  Romanticism  Transcendentalism  Anti-transcendentalism/Dark Romanticism/Gothicism  __________________  Naturalism  Modernism  We will study these –isms in chronological order.

 Who were the Puritans?  A large group of people around the _____________ who believed in a sect of Christianity called _______________.

Who were the Puritans?  grew discontent in the Church of _________________ and worked towards religious, moral and societal reforms.  thought the Church of England had become a product of political struggles and man-made __________________.  decided that the Church of England was beyond reform. Escaping _____________________ from church leadership and the King, they came to America.

Puritanism  They wanted to “________________” the church and their own lives.  In order to achieve purity, they strictly followed the _______ ____________________ in the Bible.  They also believed that religion was a personal, inner experience. This is unlike the Catholic Church of England where the clergy acted as an ______________________ between the individual and God.

Puritan’s Religious Beliefs  Their interpretation of scriptures was a _____________________. In principle, they emphasized conversion and not repression. Conversion was a rejection of the “__________________" of society and a strict adherence to Biblical principles. While repression was not encouraged in principle, it was evident in their actions. God could forgive anything, but _________ could forgive only by seeing a change in behavior. Actions spoke louder than words, so actions had to be constantly ____________________.

Pre destination  They believed in an idea called Predestination. This meant that God has already _______________ whether or not you are going to be _______________.  The ________________ of predestination kept all Puritans constantly working to do good in this life to be chosen for the next eternal one. God had already chosen who would be in heaven or hell, and each believer had no way of __________________ which group they were in.

 Those who were _________________ were obviously blessed by God and were in good standing with Him. The Protestant work ethic was the belief that _________ ___________ was an honor to God which would lead to a prosperous reward. Any deviations from the normal way of Puritan life met with strict _______________ and _____________. Since the church elders were also political leaders, any church infraction was also a ___________ one. There was no margin for error.

 Because so much of their belief centered around good deeds, the Puritan’s valued ___________________, especially in religion.

 Because the Puritans didn’t know if they were already saved or not, they did their best to make sure that no ___________________________ would be around them.  They desired to rid themselves of _____________, ________________, and _________________.  One was that they rid themselves of these feelings was through their ________________.

 _________________was behind every evil deed. Constant watch needed to be kept in order to stay away from his clutches. Words of hell fire and ______________ flowed from the mouths of eloquent ministers as they warned of the persuasiveness of the devil's power. The sermons of __________________________, a Puritan minister, show that delivery of these sermons became an ______________.