| Top | Primary Works

Dogood Papers, 1722; Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, 1725; Poor Richard's Almanack (first annual edition), 1732-57; The General Magazine and Historical Chronical, 1741; Plain Truth 1747; Proposals Relating To The Education Of Youth In Pennsylvania 1749; Experiments And Observations on Electricity 1751; The Way to Wealth 1757; Causes Of The American Discontents 1768; Political, Miscellaneous, And Philisophical Pieces 1779; The Private Life Of The Late Benjamin Franklin, L.L.D….Originally Written By Himself, And Now Translated From The French 1793.

Benjamin Franklin's Experiments; a new edition of Franklin's Experiments and observations on electricity. Edited, with a critical and historical introduction, by I. Bernard Cohen. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1941. QC516 .F85

Letters and papers of Benjamin Franklin and Richard Jackson, 1753-1785. Edited and annotated, with an introduction, by Carl Van Doren. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1947. E302.6 .F75

Benjamin Franklin and Catharine Ray Greene, their correspondence, 1755-1790. Edited and annotated by William Greene Roelker. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1949. E302.6 .F75

Autobiography. With an introd. by Verner W. Crane. NY: Harper, 1956. E302.6 .F7 A2

Poor Richard, 1733: a facsimile of the only copy known, in the collection of the Rosenbach Museum & Library. Philadelphia: The Foundation, 1977. PS749 .A4

The ingenious Dr. Franklin: selected scientific letters of Benjamin Franklin. Edited by Nathan G. Goodman. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1974, 1931. Q113 .F7

| Top | Selected Bibliography

Amacher, Richard E. Benjamin Franklin. New York, Twayne Publishers , 1962. PS751 A5.

Barbour, Brian M., ed. Benjamin Franklin: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.: Prentice-Hall, 1979. E302.6.F8 B46

Bowen, Catherine Drinker. The Most Dangerous Man In America: Scenes From The Life Of Benjamin Franklin. Boston: Little Brown, 1974. E302.6 F8 B79.

Buxbaum, Melvin H., ed. Critical essays on Benjamin Franklin. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1987. E302.6 .F8 C785

Clark, Ronald W. Benjamin Franklin: A Biography. NY: Random House, 1983. E302.6 .F8 C54

Cohen, I. Bernard. Benjamin Franklin's Sciences. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964. QC 16. F68 C64.

Conner, Paul W. Poor Richard's Politicks; Benajmin Franklin and his New American Order. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965. E302.6. F8 C72.

Currey, Cecil B. Ben Franklin; Patriot or Spy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972. QQC 16. F68 C64.

Cushman, Stephen and Paul Newlin. eds. "Benjamin Franklin." Nation Of Letters: A Concise Anthology of American Literature. NY: Brandywine Press, 1998.

Fleming, Thomas J. The Man Who Dared the Lightening; a New Look at Benjamin Fraklin. New York, Morrow, 1971. E302.6. F8 F57.

Granger, Bruce Ingham. Benjamin Franklin, An American Man Of Letters. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1964. PS751 G7.

Hornberger, Theodore. Benjamin Franklin. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press , 1962. PS751 .H6.

Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Jennings, Francis. Benjamin Franklin: Politician. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1996.

Larson, David M. "Benevolent Persuasion: The Art of Benjamin Franklin's Philanthropic Papers." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 110 (Apr. 1986): 195-217.

Lemay, J. A. Leo. "Franklin and the Autobiography: An Essay on Recent Scholarship." Eighteenth-Century Studies 1 (Dec. 1963): 258-75.

Lemay, J.A. Leo and P.M. Zall. eds. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds, Criticism. NY: Norton, 1986. E302.6 .F7 A2; Norton critical edition

Seeger, Raymond John. Benjamin Franklin, New World Physicist. New York: Pergamon Press , 1973. QC 16 F68 S43 1.

Van Doren, Carl. Benjamin Franklin. New York: The Viking Press, 1938. E302.6. F8 V32.

Wright, Esmond. Franklin of Philadelphia. Cambridge: Belknap P of Harvard UP, 1986. E302.6 .F8 W89

Zall, Paul M. Franklin's Autobiography: A Model Life. Boston: Twayne, 1989. E302.6 .F7 Z93

| Top | I. Major Themes in Franklin's Writing

1. Interest in the individual and society; the creation of an American national identity.

2. Tension between aristocracy and democracy; the awareness of America as distinct in values and interests from those of England.

3. Tension between appearance and reality; shift from an other worldly to a this worldly viewpoint.

4. Tension between romantic idealism and pragmatic rationalism; theory should be tested primarily by experience not logic; reason should be tested pragmatically.

II. Omissions in Franklin's Writings

1. Discussion of racial themes.

2. Love and emotion between men and women.

3. Discussion of the inspirational use of nature.

| Top | III. The Autobiography (1815): A Chronology

Division 1: a. explanation why he wrote the book. b. remarks on his family. c. apprenticeship on The Courant. d. attempts at becoming an independent printer.

Division 2: Gives attention to what he considered as the causes for the attainment not only of his success up to this point, but also of his success in later life.

Division 3: a. the extension of virtue from an individual to a worldwide basis. b. a record of public projects - the largest and most important section. c. the progress of his political career.

Division 4: Centers on the dispute between the Proprietaries and the Pennsylvania Assembly and the successful petition of the latter to the King to abolish the tax exemption of these original grantees of land from the Crown. 1. Franklin's meeting and disagreement with Lord Granville on the proposition that the King is the legislator of the colonies. 2. The meeting with the Proprietaries at Thomas Penn's house in Spring Garden. 3. The debate and eventual resolution of the dispute in favor of the Pennsylvania Assembly with the help of Lord Mansfield.

| Top |IV. List of Virtues

1. TEMPERANCE.
Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE.
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER.
Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION.
Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY.
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY.
Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY.
Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE.
Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. MODERATION.
Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS.
Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY.
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY.
Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

13. HUMILITY.
Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Source: The Autobiography Chapter 8

| Top | V. Order of the Day

The precept of Order requiring that every part of my business should have its allotted time, one page in my little book contain'd the following scheme of employment for the twenty-four hours of a natural day:

I enter'd upon the execution of this plan for self-examination, and continu'd it with occasional intermissions for some time. I was surpris'd to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined; but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish. To avoid the trouble of renewing now and then my little book, which, by scraping out the marks on the paper of old faults to make room for new ones in a new course, became full of holes, I transferr'd my tables and precepts to the ivory leaves of a memorandum book, on which the lines were drawn with red ink, that made a durable stain, and on those lines I mark'd my faults with a black-lead pencil, which marks I could easily wipe out with a wet sponge. After a while I went thro' one course only in a year, and afterward only one in several years, till at length I omitted them entirely, being employ'd in voyages and business abroad, with a multiplicity of affairs that interfered; but I always carried my little book with me.

| Top | Study Questions

1. Why is Ben Franklin considered the most important personality of the Age of Reason?

2. Discuss several permanent contributions Franklin has made to American life, ranging from the practical to the ideological.

3. Explain why the eighteenth century was called the Age of Experiment and consider the relevance of this term as a description of Franklin's writing.

4. What is the "religion" Franklin "preaches" to his readers in Father Abraham's speech? How do you explain Franklin's use of religious metaphors in his writing?

5. Choose any single section or aspect of The Autobiography as the basis for analysis. Or contrast Franklin's choice of focus in its four parts; consider the significance of his choice to address the book to his son; read closely the letters that begin "Part Two" and comment on their significance to The Autobiography as a whole; discuss Franklin's various practical attempts to alter his moral character.

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