Part 1:
Colonial Period and Puritanism
JOHN SMITH
1492 > Castella i Aragó start the conquest of America.
- The New World was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Then began the Spanish conquest and settlement (they arrived 100 years before the English people).
- English were not interested in conquering it. > More than 100 years after Columbus discovered America, English started travelling.
When the English started to settle in North America, we can observe the differences between the two conquests:
- Spanish conquerors weren't literate, so others wrote about their travels.
- However, John Smith wrote his own text: The General History of Virginia (a chronicle) because he wanted to write about himself, to prestige and legitimate him as a conqueror. He also wanted to share information about the new land and the Indians.
Literature doesn't reflect reality: reality does not exist; it is constructed as a text.
John Smith, The General History of Virginia:
It is a chronicle (about his travel) to let people in Europe know about this new world.
He is the only conqueror who writes himself (although he uses the 3rd person)> to prestige himself. (I’m a good man blabla: he es tira flowers).
Literary works are born from other works. Writers don’t write about reality, but about the story they create. We have to read between the li(n)es (through the reality the author has created).
We can only describe reality with things that we know. Columbus compares America with the Garden of Eden > he describes America as the paradise.
El Dorado: because everything is made of gold (the color of gold is Dorado).
Spanish people bring with them their way of life (Christianity) > they want to Christianize Indians > bringing across the Atlantic the wor(l)d of Christ.
He describes himself as the lonely hero who was taken prisoner by the Indians. The savages admire him, so there's a contrast between them and the civilization he represents. He uses his military skills and technology to win their admiration. The way he acted as a leader saved him (pg 16-17).
In Page 21 he describes his captivity, but he's not represented as a common English soldier: he's an important person, so he's brought to the Emperor. Smith is seen by this people as a murderer who must be killed, so they clean him before his sacrifice. In this important act, only male Indians have voice, but Pocahontas saves him.
Bartolomé de las Casas (a Dominican) > Indians had soul and must be treated as Christians (he was against the slavery and violence).
Irish were catholic, but they were treated as rubbish.
For English, the Indian were red devils.
New lands are always represented by women (this comes from Classical times).
The man (the conqueror): all dressed, meaning civilization (the more dressed you are, the more civilized).
The woman (America): she is undressed (uncivilized). She is not angry or frightened. She is surrounded by nature.
There are some pictures about BBQ in which Indians are cooking human beings > they were described as cannibals and sodomites > they need civilization.
The more not-human they were, the earlier the conquest will be.
To the human eyes, Indians were not humans, because if you are a dog, you don’t eat dogs, so if you are a human, you don’t eat humans, because they are like you (and Indians ate humans).
Smith was a soldier interested in discovering. He can write (different from the other soldiers that cannot).
His book about Indians was published in 1624. He had already written another book published in 1607: A true relation.
This book is not a biography, but a chronicle. He talks about himself as Captain Smith (using the 3rd person).
He wants to legitimize himself as the conqueror, as the founder of Virginia (Jamestown).
He gives information about Indians. His work is used as a tourist guide inspired in other chronicles.
He is not recognized by his own people.