The first literary works of the English-speaking peoples of North America were sermons, journals, and histories - concerns reflected in the work of the early poets Ann Bradstreet (c.1612-72) and Edward Taylor (c.1645-1729). In the Revolutionary period the most important work was practical or political, eg Benjamin Franklin`s Poor Richard`s Almanac (1732-58). Franklin`s Autobiography (1781) is a memorable testament to a Puritan sensibility.
After the international impact of Washington Irving`s Sketch-Book (1819-20), Fenimore Cooper likewise became a celebrity in the USA and Europe with his Leatherstocking Tales (1823-41), which introduced the theme of the problematic relationship between the wilderness and