The Norton’s introduction to Franklin states that to “a remarkable extent, the writings of Benjamin Franklin represent the metamorphosis of New England literary culture from ‘Puritan’ to ‘Yankee.'” How might this be true? That is, what are some key differences in the worldview of Franklin from that of Puritans like Jonathan Edwards and Anne Bradstreet?

At its etymological root, the word “economy” means “good house keeping.” To keep good house in a metaphorical sense is to exhibit a certain self-mastery vis-a-vis industry. This is a core value and theme of Franklin’s text, one which reflects what is sometimes called “the liberal subject,” which we see on display in Franklin’s text. Liberal subjectivity refers in general to a technology of the self that fits into and in turn promotes the values and behaviors of capitalism: independence, profit-making, self-interest as a common good, etc. How is this value-system on display in Franklin’s narrative and what about it is problematic? How does the article “The Vanishing Mother” speak directly to the problematics of the liberal subject?