UPON THE BURNING OF OUR HOUSE
BY ANNE BRADSTREET
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) was the first female poet
in the English language published in the New World.
Her volume of poetry, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung
Up in America (1650) was printed on both sides of the
Atlantic to critical acclaim. Born to a privileged family,
Bradstreet came to the New World in 1630. Both her
father and her husband served as governors of the
Massachusetts Bay colony. Despite poor health,
Bradstreet raised eight children and attained
considerable esteem in her community.
However, many see in Bradstreet a paradox. While
she seemed the model Puritan woman, she also
pursued her own intellectual and artistic
achievements. This was in sharp contrast to the social
norms of the day. For this reason, many consider
Bradstreet an early feminist. Her work tackles both the
quotidian subject matter of domestic life and the
eternal questions of religion.