The Origins of the Idea of "Exceptionalism" of the Colonies of New England in the European Myths and Utopias XVI - XVII Centuries
The article seeks to examine how the ideas about North America were related with the system of European mythological concepts, and how this influenced the origins of the idea of “exceptionalism” in the colonies of New England in the XVIIth century. By the analysis of the European Christian mythology the author shows how the American continent took place in the structure of the myths that were forming the idea of “exceptionalism”. The author makes a conclusion that despite the image of America had become more ordinary by the XVIIth century, the idea of “exceptionalism” of the colonies of New England remained related not only with the society of “exceptional” people living there, but with the concrete place, too.