First published in London in 1650, Anne Bradstreet’s book, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America, was to be the first work to be published by a female poet from the New World. Anne’s brother-in-law, John Woodbridge, had taken her manuscripts to London in 1647, and although Anne’s name does not appear until a few pages in, it was unusual for a female poet to have work published and acclaimed to her. There has been debate as to whether Woodbridge took her manuscripts without her permission, but this is thought to be untrue and was done purely to deter speculation of an overly ambitious woman publishing her own work in a male-oriented industry and society.[1] The title itself is an accolade to Bradstreet's talent, with a reference to her as the tenth muse, implying that she is worthy of the ancient mythology of the nine muses who were considered the Goddesses of inspiration in the arts and sciences.

Despite Elizabeth’s death over forty years earlier, Bradstreet advances her to near-divine status, portraying her as superior to men in both governance and virtue. Her poem honouring Queen Elizabeth carries feminist connotations that are unexpected within the Puritan tradition, which typically avoids such perspectives. The significance of Bradstreet’s success and the respect she gained challenges the norms of seventeenth-century male-dominated, misogynistic society.

Proem

Poem

Notes on the Proem/Poem

[1] Jeannine Hensley, The Works of Anne Bradstreet (Cambridge Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1967), p. xlix.

Bibliography

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Secondary Sources