1. AMERICA’S FIRST POET * PURITANISM Anne Bradstreet 1612-1672

2. ANNE BRADSTREET Born in England Raised as a Puritan Moved with husband to Massachusetts 1630 Raised 8 children, braved New England hardships 1650- The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America published in England (brother-in-law took her poems and had them published secretly) Wrote about the joyful but difficult experiences of everyday Puritan life

3. Lyric Poetry Lyric poems are brief poems that express the writer’s personal feelings and thoughts. Originate from ancient Greece- sung to the accompaniment of a lyre. Melodic, focus on producing a single, unified effect. Bradstreet’s poems range from scholarly subjects (physics, history, philosophy) to lyric poems. Living in the New World, she expressed her personal feelings about colonial life.

4. Puritan Literature The sole purpose of literature was moral instruction. Only approved of poetry if, like Psalms, it “moved hearts to righteousness.” Writing poetry was unacceptable behavior for women. Her poetry connects individual feelings within the context of Puritanism. The Bible, French and English poetry influence her work.