THE AGE OF REASON. (a.k.a. The Enlightenment) (a.k.a. The Revolutionary Period) Moderation and order were two important characteristics of The

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1 AMERICAN LITERATURE Chapter 4 THE AGE OF REASON (a.k.a. The Enlightenment) (a.k.a. The Revolutionary Period) Moderation and order were two important characteristics of The Age of Reason. The Age of Reason emphasized affairs on earth rather than affairs in the heavenly kingdom or the delights of the afterlife. But this does not mean that all proponents of The Age of Reason were atheists. Deism, rather, was the accepted theological philosophy during this time. The contrast between Deism (what the rationalists believed) and Theism (what the Puritans believed) is, perhaps, best explained like this: Deism emphasizes science and nature, rather than spirituality and emotionalism. Deism does acknowledge that there is a God, but the relationship between humans and this God is much more distant than the one desired by the Puritan Theists. The Deist ideas that came out of The Age of Reason rejected the Puritan idea that life should be God-centered and the Puritan emphasis on a close, personal relationship between Gad and man. Instead, the predominant Deist thinkers of The Age of Reason believed that humans were at the center of all religion and only 1

2 those Christian beliefs that could be accepted by all humans were recognized as truth. Yet, like the Puritans, Americans of The Age of Reason believed in a purpose for America the creating of a perfect society. And, true to its intentions, The Age of Reason developed many ideas that helped to advance the American cause for independence and the quest for a more perfect union. According to the tenets of The Age of Reason, the faculty of reason could be used as a great source of empowerment. The idea was that humans could progress socially with the use of reason. By using it, humans could manage themselves and their societies without depending on authority and tradition. Reason thrived on freedom of speech, freedom from rulers, freedom to experiment and to question laws and institutions. The key ideas of The Age of Reason were greatly influenced by the political writings of John Locke, Issac Newton s scientific writings on gravity, and the social philosophy of Edmund Burke. The leading writers of The Age of Reason tended to write on science, ethics, or government. Being somewhat of an emotional, spiritual art form, poetry was one thing that did not reach great heights in America during The Age of Reason. Instead, political writing dominated the American Age of Reason. The first American play to ever be produced, however, was written during this time: The Prince of Parthia made it to the stage in

3 WILL, ED, AND BEN: A COMPARISON The literature we examined in the last chapter differs greatly, in terms of philosophical bent, from the works produced during The Age of Reason. The ideas that Jonathan Edwards wanted to get across to his readers in Personal Narrative are much more spiritual and less rational than the ideas espoused by Benjamin Franklin in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. And William Byrd was not nearly as preoccupied with the issue of morality as either of these guys. Yet, despite their differences, the format of all of these works is the same: the personal journal. Since William Byrd s The Secret Diary of William Byrd was a private journal, written in code and never meant for public consumption, the author does not try to teach lessons, the way Franklin and Edwards do. Instead, The Secret Diary emphasizes the author s state of health, his entertainment, his domestic life, and his eating habits. A typical line from Byrd s Diary reads: I read some Latin in Terence and had good health, good thoughts, and good humor, thank God Almighty. I said my prayers. Byrd was also very interested in continually educating himself: he often arose at 5 o clock a.m. and read Greek and Hebrew. The Secret Diary of William Byrd is an invaluable commentary on life in the Southern colonies. 3

4 Jonathan Edwards Personal Narrative, on the other hand, serves as a fine example of a Puritan spiritual autobiography. It was written to teach about and to reveal the working of God s grace in his own life. This purpose to teach the reader moral lessons is identical to the purpose of Franklin s work (though the lessons are very different). In his Personal Narrative, Edwards talks about how he sees God revealed through nature. As his autobiography progresses, his experience deepens, and he comes into closer contact with God. The line It appeared sweet, beyond all expression, to follow Christ, and to be taught, and enlightened, and instructed by Him; to learn of Him, and live to Him, expresses Edwards deep emotionalism. Like Edwards, Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography to provide an example for his descendants. In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin talks about, in detail, the personal moral goals he set for himself: I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. The work is a success story that chronicles the author s progress from rags to riches. The following quotation tells us that the author took a practical approach to life, and believed in the power of optimism: What reverses may attend the remainder [of his life] is in the hand of Providence: but, if they arrive, the reflection on past happiness enjoyed ought to help his bearing them with more resignation. 4

5 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ( ) Ben Franklin was really a jack-of-all-trades: a philosopher, scientist, humorist, statesman, and inventor. Throughout his life he pursued selfbetterment and he continually set new goals for himself. Above all, Franklin s life was characterized by practicality. And being the rational, practical man that he was, Franklin did not achieve great heights in poetry. Instead, he turned his attention to the fields of science, politics, and printing. Franklin attributed much of the success of his life to his ability to write prose. Franklin learned to write clearly and forcefully by using the Spectator as a guide to developing a graceful style. One of his most famous works, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, is written in the clear, plain style that the Puritans developed. This work provides much insight into the mind of this famous American. Unfortunately, Franklin s autobiography is incomplete since it omits most of the second half of his life. From his autobiography we learn that upon Franklin s arrival in Philadelphia, his future wife, seeing him in the street, considered him awkward and ridiculous. The fact that Franklin eventually won this woman over serves as a good example of how Franklin lived his life: whenever he saw a potential challenge, he rose up to meet it. In striving to make himself a better person, Franklin found that the task was more difficult than he had at first thought. To facilitate 5

6 his efforts at self-improvement, Franklin kept a small book in which he made a daily record of the faults he had observed in his own behavior. As he strove for self-improvement, Franklin occasionally found himself thinking that extreme exactness in his attempt might make him unbearable to others. Franklin s feelings about his failure to reach perfection were that he was a better man for having attempted it. Although Benjamin Franklin rejected the spiritual emotionalism of Puritanism, he certainly shared their obsession with developing a perfect moral code. He tried to convey these morals to his readers by summing them up in catchy, simple phrases. In explaining why he insisted on paying for his boat passage to Philadelphia, Franklin makes one of his famous observations: A man is sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has plenty. In his autobiography, Franklin outlines thirteen of his virtuous goals (that he hoped his readers would adopt as their virtuous goals as well). These virtues were described by their accompanying precepts. Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty, is the precept for justice. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable, is the precept for tranquility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates, is the precept for humility. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, is the precept for frugality. Of Franklin s thirteen virtuous goals, the virtue of order gave him the most trouble. 6