Transcript Anne Bradstreet

• Born in Northampton, England, in 1612
• Daughter of Thomas Dudley and Dorothy Yorke
• Well educated-privately tutored in history, literature
and foreign languages
• Age 16, she married Simon Bradstreet
• 1630, her and her family emigrated to America on the
Arbella ship
• One of the first British settlers in America and also one
of the first American female writers
• Some say she is the first American poet but she is well
known as the first woman to have her works published
in America.
• Difficult living conditions meant the family had to fight
to survive and adapt to new life in America
• Despite frequent bouts of illness, Bradstreet
maintained her faith and her and her husband
managed to make a successful life for
themselves. Anne had eight children.
• Whilst Simon was away on business Anne
spent many hours reading, developing a
particular love for poetry.
• Although she kept her poems private, her
brother in law published her first book in
England in 1650, without her permission
• Died in 1672 due to ill health, aged 60
Anne Bradstreet
• Information and examples of her
writing
• The subject matter of her poetry often concerns
her faith (Puritan), children and her husband- often
written in the lonely times when he was away on
political errands.
• She is said to be very intuitive, and have been
fascinated by the human mind and spirit.
• Her poetry is said to have ‘lyrical yet logical’
elements, with a ‘deceptively simple’ style in spite
of her rich vocabulary and knowledge.
• She was also quite revolutionary as she was one of
the first women poets to be esteemed by critics,
and although it was hard for women in the 17th
Century to put their views across, Bradstreet did
this with ease.
Examples
‘If we had no Winter, the spring would not be so pleasant;
If we did not sometimes taste the adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.’
- Meditations Divine and Moral
‘Farewell, my birds, farewell, adieu,
I happy am, if well with you.’
- In Reference to her Children
‘Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever. ’
- To my Dear and Loving Husband
Anne Bradstreet
• What critics say about her work
• Bradstreet was bothered by the cultural bias toward women that was
common in her time; the belief was that a woman's place was in the
home attending to the family and her husband's needs.
• Women were often considered intellectual inferiors and because of
this, critics believed that Bradstreet stole her ideas for her poems
from men.
• Her writing was severely criticized because it was that of a woman,
receiving a different kind of criticism than that of her male
counterparts.
• The critics of Bradstreet’s time often gave her bad reviews, not
because she was a bad poet but because she was a woman.
• It has not been until recently that Anne Bradstreet’s work has been
fully appreciated by critics due to women's poetry not been
acknowledged during the time in which she wrote. Because of this we
are able to make up our own mind about her work as there few critics
who have presented their views on her poems publicly.
Anne Bradstreet's poetry was mostly based on her life
experience, and her love for her husband and family.
One of the most interesting aspects of her work is the
situation in which she wrote, where the search for knowledge
was frowned upon as being against God's will, and where
women were relegated to traditional roles.
Bradstreet had to lead a life where her work went unnoticed,
but she was still greatly devoted to God and to her husband,
despite the fact that she clearly valued knowledge and
intellect.
Some critics say she was an early feminist