Thomas Shepard, The Autobiography

Carla Ann McGill (Independent Scholar - North America)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.1: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Colonial Period, 1604-1783.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Scott Slawinski (Western Michigan University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1649

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Autobiography (any)

Resources

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Thomas Shepard's

Autobiography

and its companion, the

Journal

, are unique narratives of the inner life of a Puritan in early New England. They offer Shepard's perspective on his early life as well as on his ongoing spiritual experiences both before and after coming to New England in 1635, where he soon became the minister of the First Church of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The

Autobiography

was written to his son, Thomas, “that so he may learn to know and love the great and most high God, the God of his father”. Michael McGiffert's definitive book on the work,

God's Plot

, offers insights into its structure, which is based upon what Shepard calls “God's great plot” of redemption.

The work is arranged in three sections: an address to the son along with a summary of the events

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976 words

Citation: McGill, Carla Ann. "The Autobiography". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10819, accessed 16 April 2024.]

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