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Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) was the first notable Black American woman poet. Born in West Africa, she was brought to Boston in 1761. Despite her enslaved status, Wheatley showed remarkable intelligence, mastering Latin and translating Ovid. Her book of poems, "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral," published in London in 1773, showcased themes of piety, morality, and virtue. Wheatley's work, heavily influenced by prominent poets like John Milton and Alexander Pope, marked the beginning of both Black American and Black women's literary traditions. Although her poetry focused on white-oriented themes, her legacy as a trailblazing poet remains significant in American literature. Wheatley's impact on literary history, particularly as a Black woman, is a unique and crucial contribution that has often been overlooked.
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PhilLis Wheatley (1753-1784) Luciano Cabral American Literature I https://uerjundergradslit.wordpress.com/
Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) the first one? “Although records show that Lucy Terry had written a poem as early as 1746, Briton Hammondhad written a short slave pamphlet by 1760 and Jupiter Hammonhad written some poetry by 1761, Phillis Wheatleywas the first Black American to succeed in getting a book of poems published. Her book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published in England in 1773”.
PhilLis Wheatley (1753-1784) • The first black woman poet of note in the United States. • Bornc. 1753, present-day Senegal/Gambia(?), West Africa, and forcefully brought to Boston in 1761. • Phillis was named after the vessel that brought her to the US, by her masters John and Susannah Wheatley. • Remarkably intelligent from the start, Phillis was taught to read and write. • She also learned Latin and even translated a tale by Ovid. • Literarily, influenced by John Milton, Alexander Pope, and Thomas Gray. • Became famous for her poem on the death of Reverend George Whitefield. • Published her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in London, in 1773. • Died December 5, 1784, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.),
PhilLis Wheatley (1753-1784) • Themes: Christian piety, elegy, morality, virtue, death, American revolution. • White-Oriented Poetry: But there are very few poems on her experiences as black, on freedom and slavery • Form: heroic couplets, neoclassical style “Wheatley launched two traditions at once – the black American literary tradition and the black woman’s literary tradition. It is extraordinary that not just one but both of these traditions were founded simultaneously by a black woman – certainly an event unique in the history of literature – it is also ironic that this important fact of common, coterminous literary origin seems to have escaped most scholars” [Henry Louis Gates Jr.]
