1. Emphasis on Individualism and Personal Religious Experience:
* The Great Awakening stressed individual religious experience and a personal relationship with God. This resonates in the works of authors like Jonathan Edwards, whose "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a prime example of this passionate, individualistic approach to faith.
* Benjamin Franklin, though not a fervent religious revivalist, was influenced by the Enlightenment ideals that ran parallel to the Great Awakening. He believed in self-reliance and individual betterment, reflecting the spirit of self-improvement and personal responsibility fostered by the revival.
2. Focus on Emotion and Sentimentality:
* The Great Awakening emphasized emotional engagement with faith, leading to highly emotional preaching and religious practices. This emotional fervor is reflected in the works of authors like Anne Bradstreet, who expressed personal feelings and spirituality in her poetry.
* Later authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville would explore the darker side of human emotion, often influenced by the themes of sin and redemption that were central to the Great Awakening.
3. Rise of Religious Dissent and Social Reform:
* The Great Awakening challenged established religious authority and led to the formation of new denominations. This spirit of dissent and social reform is evident in the works of Thomas Paine, whose "Common Sense" advocated for independence from British rule, drawing on the same spirit of questioning established power that fueled the Great Awakening.
* This emphasis on social reform also inspired later authors like Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a powerful indictment of slavery, fueled by the moral conscience cultivated by the Great Awakening.
4. Development of American Literature:
* The Great Awakening contributed to the development of a uniquely American literary tradition. Writers began exploring themes of individual freedom, religious experience, and social responsibility, paving the way for a distinctively American literary voice.
* Early American poets and writers like Philip Freneau, Joel Barlow, and William Cullen Bryant were shaped by the intellectual and social ferment of the Great Awakening and used their writing to explore themes of national identity and freedom.
In Conclusion:
The Great Awakening was a transformative event in American history, leaving a lasting impact on the nation's culture and literature. Its emphasis on individualism, emotion, dissent, and social reform shaped the perspectives and themes of American authors for generations to come.