Douglas Wilson

Anne Bradstreet Douglas Wilson

"Douglas Wilson has accomplished with this book what every biographer ought to accomplish: He has enlightened for us an entire age and not just a single representation of that age." George Grant

America's first poet, Anne Bradstreet, wrote poems regularly for her family's private enjoyment. But in 1647, unbeknownst to Anne, her brother-in-law set sail for England with a manuscript of her poetry. Upon his return, he presented her book to her: The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America. Anne was thoroughly embarrassed but also pleased. Subsequent generations have valued her gifts as a poet as well, and her poetry remains in print to this day.

However, to the modern mind, Anne herself remains something of an enigmatic figure--a dedicated Puritan, housewife, and gifted poet. How these attributes can co-exist, feminists have yet to understand. This biography provides a deeper look at Anne Bradstreet's personal qualities, the vibrant poetry she created, and her contributions to the way of life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

This book is a reprint of Stateliest Marble: The Passionate Femininity of Anne Bradstreet.