Original 61 The first American literature was neither american nor really literature. It Was not american because it was the work mainly of immigrants from England. It was not literature as we know it -in the form of poetry, essays, or fiction -but rather an interesting mixture of travel accounts and religious wrItings.Original 61: • The first American literature was neither American nor really literature. It was not American because it was the work mainly of immigrants from England. It was not literature as we know it — in the form of poetry, essays, or fiction — but rather an interesting mixture of travel accounts and religious writings