ANNE BRADSTREET

1. ANNE BRADSTREET

2. 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

3. 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

4. Anne Bradstreet • Information and examples of her writing

5. 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.

6. 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 perseverThat when we live no more, we may live ever. ’ - To my Dear and Loving Husband

7. Anne Bradstreet • What critics say about her work

8. 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.

9. 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