PURITAN PLAIN STYLE:
- simple, short words rather than long, fancy ones -simple sentences and structure of colloquial speech - avoids irony, humor, or figurative language, opting instead for direct, "plain" language PURITANISM'S BIG FIVE:
1. absolute sovereignty--God is totally in control at all times 2. human depravity--humans are inherently sinful, therefore God must initiate all interaction with humans 3. predestination-- God determined before human history who would be saved (the "elect") and who would be damned, but humans are still responsible for day-to-day choices 4. covenant theology--people operated in covenant, or contract, with each other and with God (i.e. social contracts and self-governing churches 5. individualism & reading--emphasis on individual relationship with God; therefore literacy was important in order to study Bible |
TEXT FORMS:
- conversion narratives - journals and diaries - poems - histories -ALL in an effort to document the work of God |