Resources about Philip Freneau

1. “Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820.” Outline of American Literature. December 2006. 31 May 2007. < http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oal/lit2.htm >
This source gives Philip Freneau (1752-1832) the title of “The Poet of the American Revolution.” The website states that he rebelled against his conservative Harvard friends and embraced liberal and democratic causes, fitting him nicely into the mold of a questioning Enlightenment author. The website gives some vital, personal information on the life of Freneau, mentioning that he edited a number of journals during his life, “always mindful of the great cause of democracy.” Freneau actually went on to be the first “crusading newspaper editor,” according to the website, after having founded the National Gazette with Thomas Jefferson. The website’s credibility is certain, being a government regulated website dealing mainly with historical figures. The site actually places Freneau among other prominent Enlightenment authors, listing the liberal, democratic ideals found in his poetry as a main criterion.

2. "Philip Morin Freneau." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.
Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. <http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/servlet/BioRC> Freneau is important because he is one of the “founding fathers” of American Literature. He was a poet, essayist, journalist and, in many cases, a literary pioneer for the new nation. Running newspapers helped him strengthen his journalistic reporting, although his actual prose failed. Nevertheless, he was a skilled poet. The call of patriotic duty conflicted with his poetic need for solitude. This led him to the beauty of the Caribbean, where he was captured by the British. Once free, and outraged, Freneau abandoned pre-Romantic verse and returned as a poet of Revolutionary politics. Later, his writings would criticize, and influence, the politics of the new nation. He partied with Jefferson, against what they saw as the potentially monarchal rule of George Washington. Over his lifetime, Freneau wrote many poems of varying styles. His emotion-fueled poems are typical of his style. This bio is from the credible source of the MCC online library, and it helps by giving an overview that shows his varied, powerful influences on the era.

3. "Philip Freneau." American Eras, Volume 4: Development of a Nation, 1783-1815. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. <http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/servlet/BioRC>. The main purpose of this website was to give a history of Philip Freneau that included his background as well as his writings. Freneau is an important figure of the Enlightenment era to read about because of the impact and involvement he had in the literature of the time. He was linked to other important authors such as Hugh Henry Brackenridge and important political figures such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. This biography was helpful in making sense of the literary aspect of the Enlightenment era because it helped to show the sorts of things that were happening to him during this time (i.e. him being imprisoned on a British prison ship in New York Harbor where he did a lot of his writing).This was a credible website because it listed the sources from which it retrieved its’ information, and it also listed links to further reading about the author.


4. Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 2: Philip Freneau." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. 11 June 2009 http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap2/freneau.html. This website offers a great deal of information on Philip Freneau and his background. Freneau, a poet of the Revolution, lived a long adventurous life. He lived according to his own desires and rebelled often. He had been in acquaintance with many political figures, including Supreme Court justices, presidents, and generals. He had sailed around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. He was an opponent of Benjamin Franklin, friend of Thomas Jefferson, slave owner in Mount Pleasant, and master of the seas. He was an interesting man and wrote many influential pieces during his time.

5. Leary, Lewis. "THE DREAM VISIONS OF PHILIP FRENEAU." Early American Literature 11 (1976): 156-74. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Mesa Community College, Mesa. 19 June 2009 <https://ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5425568&site=ehost-live>.
This article examines Freneau’s poetry and debates whether he should be considered “the Father of American Poetry”. Freneau is an important author/poet to know within the Enlightenment because he is considered “the Poet of the American Revolution”. His poetry often coincided with the ideas of Thomas Paine and other Enlightenment initiators. His poems also talked about the wars of the revolution and the evils of King George III. This source was helpful in understanding this literary period because he incorporated the key issues of the time into his poetry. It also made it easier to read his poetry because it clarified the importance Freneau put upon dreams and how that influenced his works. This site is credible because the author wrote and edited many books and was a professor of English at the University of North Carolina.

"Philip Freneau 1725 1832." worldcatalystmagazine.com.

Relevant Literary Periods:

• Enlightenment

Relevant Literary Themes:

• Frontier- Influenced by his journeys to write about nature.
  
• Identity- External political issues influenced him to write about British and American topics.
  
• Self Confidence- Communicated with fellow writers to discuss important topics he wrote about.
  

Relevant Literary Terms:

• Imagery- Featured imagery in many of his works, allowing the audience to feel as though they were at the location.
  
• Point of View- Spoke about his point of view while considering others.
  
• Setting- Uses imagery to describe his setting.