ENGL.2820: American Literary Traditions

Print book. in Lydon Library. There is also a copy on the Internet Archive.

In Google Books. New English Canaan (1637), is an account of life at the New England settlement and fur-trading post of Merrymount, or Ma-re-Mount, and offers perhaps the earliest description of Native American life and culture. Morton's book is also significant for being, unlike virtually every other early history of the region, told from the point of view of a non-Puritan. Indeed, Morton and his companions were viewed with hostility by the Pilgrims of nearby Plymouth and other settlements, who considered their reveling and association with the local Indians to be immoral. Morton's description of the revels and merriment at Ma-re-Mount gave rise to the depiction of Morton's exploits in a number of works of American literature, most notably Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "The Maypole of Merry Mount." For centuries Morton was disdained as an irresponsible liberitine whose account was not to be taken seriously because of its fictionalizing, harsh criticism of the Pilgrims, and obscure classical and biblical references. Since the 1960s, however, Morton has been seen in a more favorable light, as someone who presents a sympathetic and at least to some extent accurate account of early Native American life and manners, who shows an appreciation for the beauty of the American landscape, and who uses humor and satire to great effect to offer a critical look at the hypocrisy of the Pilgrims as he contrasts their inhumanity to the kindness and humanity of the Indians.

This title is in the Internet Archive. Create an account and log in to borrow. Print copy in Lydon Library.