In class we discussed that Bradstreet appears humble when
discussing her work by saying that it was “ill-formed,” but I have trouble
actually believing that she thinks her work is as terrible as she describes it
in this poem. I know there are times where I submit a work that I think is
pretty good, but I am scared to actually come forward and say that because
there is always a question of “What if someone thinks my work is terrible?” At
the end of this poem, Bradstreet says, “If for thy father asked, say thou hadst
none.” I feel as if she placed this line in her poem to show that she wrote it
all by herself without any help, and if people end up thinking her work is
wonderful, then she will receive all the credit. What are your thoughts on
this? Do you think she truly is embarrassed of this work, or she is just afraid
of being too confident in her own work?
I have also wondered this. Like Dr. H mentioned in class, it's interesting that this poem in which Bradstreet is condemning her work for its flaws, is actually a great work of art itself. I think it is reasonable to say that being a Puritan, it would have been in her best interest to seem humble, whether or not she really is. In my opinion, Bradstreet was well aware of her talents as a writer, but that isn't to say that "The Author to Her Book" isn't an honest piece, I believe it is. I think it's natural for any writer to doubt the quality of their work, especially when it is opened up to critics.
ReplyDeleteI think that Bradstreet is not necessarily embarrassed of her work, but rather (maybe even forcibly) modest because of her station in life. Writing and becoming published was bold enough a gesture for a "woman of her time" (what a terribly patriarchal phrase), and so I have always thought that perhaps her self-depreciating statements within her poetry were precautionary--if she claimed that her work was "ill-formed" or "fatherless" then perhaps she would be blameless should someone critique her.
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