Abstract
English majors in Taiwan mostly are not familiar with American literature, let along American literature in the colonial times. However, should one compare the colonial history of Taiwan in the Age of Exploration with that of America in the similar era by the Dutch, students are more willing to participate in class discussion, their learning attitude has changed from passive to more active, and the result is therefore more rewarding too. The main reason of such a result lies in that, in my opinion, both colonial histories of Taiwan and US are alike, that is, both were discovered by Europeans in the Age of Exploration, and there are similarities between the colonization processes in Tainan, Taiwan, and several Dutch colonies along the east coast of America. The two colonial powers used trade as a means, exchanging mink and deerskin with native Aborigines respectively and eventually led to the abolition of the two indigenous peoples. This study aims at exploring similarities and differences between Taiwan and US colonial histories through examining their colonization processes in detail. I hope that from such a comparison, putting colonial American literature in the context of colonial Taiwan, American literary history may become more interesting to Taiwan Students.
Highlights
How to Teach Colonial American Literature. It is well known among faculty of English departments that textbooks of history of American literature begin with American colonial literature, including Native American literature
The Dutch colonial history of Taiwan began in 1624 with the establishment of Zeelandia in Dayuan (Anping). This was the period roughly coincided with the establishment of the first English colony, Jamestown, VA (1607), and the second its colony, Plymouth Plantation, MA (1620)
In order to compare with the Dutch colonial Taiwan, I pay special attention to the Dutch colonial New York
Summary
It is well known among faculty of English departments that textbooks of history of American literature begin with American colonial literature, including Native American literature. From Adrianne Van Der Donck’s account, we know how the Dutch colonized New Amsterdam (modern New York City) Among all these historical documents, the only exceptions, the “real literature” written by a “true poetess,” were the works of Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672). The Dutch ran the Dutch West India Company in New Amsterdam, the Dutch East India Company in Jakarta, and they almost monopolized maritime trade It was not until the second half of the 17th century, England had gradually replaced Holland to become the strongest power in the world. Even though the Dutch had no intention to reside permanently in the said colonies, through mere commerce and trade, both groups of natives were disintegrated By way of such comparison, students will have a clearer understanding of colonization, and of the meanings and values of American literary history of that period
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