Poetry of Anne Bradstreet This paper presents a literary ana

This paper presents a literary analysis of the poetry of Anne Bradstreet (16121672). She was an Englishborn poet of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Bradstreet was an aristocrat by birth. She was the daughter of one governor of the colony and the wife of another. In general, Bradstreet's poetry varies from scenes of domestic affection and traditional confessions of piety. One unusual characteristic of Bradstreet's verse is that it sometimes demonstrates a sensitivity to beauty not usually found in the Puritan theological approach.

The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America is the only edition of her verse published during her lifetime. This work is also the first volume of original poetry to be written in America. The collection includes "A Dialogue between Old England and New" and such efforts as "Four Elements," "Four Constitutions," "Four Ages of Man," "Four Seasons," and "Four Monarchies," the last poem being an incomplete attempt at composing universal history. However, "Contemplations," which came out in 1678 in the second edition of The Tenth Muse, is customarily thought to be Bradstreet's most effective poetic composition. This poem is a meditative and descriptive work, very likely influenced by Edmund Spenser and Giles Fletcher. Hyatt H. Waggoner states about "Contemplations": "It could be called our first nature poem, though she would not have thought of it that way" (Waggoner 8).

In "Contemplations," when Bradstreet thinks of the glory

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ed her life as a pilgrimage toward heaven, but her work reveals that it was actually a journey from artistic ambition to resolute piety. In spite of her intensely religious society, much of Bradstreet's work is occupied with secular concerns; in spite of the dangers of public assertion by a woman, she longed for recognition, and in spite of her concerted efforts to be devout, she was finally unable to fully accept the Puritan God" (Martin 1819). In this passage, Martin sums up some very important facts about Bradstreet. But it should not be thought that Bradstreet was a victim of the type of Puritanism popularly considered as existing during her time. The early English Puritans were not longfaced reformers or haters of art and music. Instead, they were intelligent, disciplined, plainly dressed citizens who believed in simplicity and democratic concepts. Essentially, the term "Puritan" was applied, during Elizabeth's reign, to those who desired to "purify" the Church of England. The Puritanism of Massachusetts did have developments which made it a stricter approach to religion than was originally intended by the movement. Calvinism was a strong force in early New England. There was a heavy emphasis on industry and frugality. F

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