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Caroline B. Johnson
Liberty University
ENGL 201: American Literature I
Prof. Sarah Horne
September 11, 2023
Timeless Poetry from the First Recognized Female Poet—APA
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Anne’s collection of poetry, which was published without her knowledge under the title
The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in American, Compiled with a Great Variety of Wit and
Learning, Full of Delight by a Gentlewomen of Those Parts, was considered to be a huge
success. The collection was listed in William London’s Catalogue of the Most Vendible Books in
England, and there is a possibility that there was a copy of the collection in King George III’s
library (Poetry Foundation, 2023). According to the Poetry Foundation, “she is still considered to
be one of the most important early American poets” (2023). As the first female to be recognized
as an accomplished poet, Anne Bradstreet showed great variety of themes, evidence of learning,
and discussed delightful subjects through he poetry.
One reason Anne was so successful as a poet is because of the great variety of themes
that can be found in her collection of poetry. This variety of theme is evident in some of her most
famous works, which include: “The Author to Her Book”, “The Prologue”, “Before the Birth of
One of Her Children”, and “To My Dear and Loving Husband”. The themes of her poetry
include the mercy of God, human personality, the natural world, human history, faith, the gifts
and limitations of the poet, and the love and care of a husband and children. She also wrote many
poems about women’s rights. According to Van Engen, “Like many women writers in the
nineteenth century, Bradstreet used print to publicize the supposedly private experiences of a
woman” (2011).
As the first recognized woman poet, Anne was at risk of being censured. According to
Kenneth Requa, “Because a New England woman of Anne Bradstreet’s time could have been
censured for becoming known even as a poet, John Woodbridge, the brother-in-law of Anne
Bradstreet, in his introduction to The Tenth Muse (1650), not only pointed out the many virtues
of the author but also made clear that she wrote poetry only in her legitimately idle hours (and
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therefore fulfilled properly her duties) and that she did not intend to publish the poems (and
therefore was properly humble)” (1974). This may be why a major theme of her poetry was
women’s rights.
It is evident by her poetry that Anne had an excellent education. According to Belasco
and Johnson:
Given access to the earl’s extensive library, Bradstreet was encouraged to read and write
by her father, who occasionally wrote poetry. Bradstreet also received an education
beyond that of most young girls of her day. Although little is known about the details of
her training, the numerous allusions in her later poems indicate that she had read widely
— not simply in the Bible and religious works, but also in history, literature, and natural
science.
“The Prologue” demonstrates this education and her knowledge of authors and literature from
ancient times. This is evident in the line that says, “Nor can I, like that fluent sweet-tongued
Greek who lisp’d at first, in future times speak plain” (Bradstreet, 1650). This is referring to the
ancient Greek orator, Demosthenes. This is only one of many examples that demonstrate Anne’s
great intelligence.
Anne’s poetry is still popular today because of the delightful subjects of her poetry. The
subjects of her poetry included her own poetry, her death, her abilities as a poet, and her love for
her husband. In the poem “The Author to Her Book,” she described her poetry as “Thou ill-
form’d offspring of my feeble brain, who after birth didst by my side remain” (Bradstreet, 1650).
In the poem “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” the author seems to believe that the time
of her death is near. This is evident in the line “How soon, my Dear, death may my steps attend”
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(Bradstreet, 1650). In “The Prologue”, Anne writes that she does not have the ability to write
about kings and wars. She says this in the line that says, “My obscure lines shall not so dim their
worth” (Bradstreet, 1650). In the poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” she describes her
love for her husband as, “My love is such that rivers cannot quench.” In this same poem, she also
writes about how much she values her husband’s love for her. “I prize thy love more than whole
mines of gold, or all the riches that the East doth hold” (Bradstreet, 1650).
Because of her timeless poetry, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was popular at the time it was
first published, is still popular, and will most likely remain popular in the future. She wrote about
issues that are still present today, so reading her poetry can help one know how to better resolve
these issues.
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References
Bradstreet, Anne (1650). “Before the birth of one of her children.” Poetry Foundation.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46450/before-the-birth-of-one-of-her-children.
Bradstreet, Anne (1650). “The author to her book.” Poetry Foundation.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43697/the-author-to-her-book.
Bradstreet, Anne (1650). “The prologue.” Poetry Foundation.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43705/prologue-56d22283c12e1.
Bradstreet, Anne (1650). “To my dear and loving husband.” Poetry Foundation.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43706/to-my-dear-and-loving-husband.
Poetry Foundation. Anne Bradstreet. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anne-bradstreet.
Requa, K. A. (1974). Anne Bradstreet’s Poetic Voices. Early American Literature, 9(1), 3–18.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25070644.
Van Engen, A. (2011). Advertising the Domestic: Anne Bradstreet's Sentimental Poetics. Legacy,
28(1), 47-68. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?
url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/advertising-domestic-anne-bradstreets-
sentimental/docview/880237777/se-2 .
Susan, B. (2019). The Bedford Anthology American Literature, Volume 1, Second Edition,
Liberty University (2nd ed.). Macmillan Higher Education.
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781319324414.
