The Author to Her Book

“The Author to Her Book”

A writer has to have a certain amount of passion about their work. In the case of Anne Bradstreet in her poem “The Author to Her Book,” compares a writer and their work to a mother and her child. As you read the poem you can see how she compares the growth of her work to the growth of a child.

The first two lines of the poem show a motherly comparison by the words offspring and birth. The first line, however, has a negative allusion as well, from the words ill-formed and feeble. It is a comparison of the awkwardness of a relationship. The second line in the poem refers to how Bradstreet’s poems were passed around amongst her family rather than being immediately published after they were written. The fact that her poems weren’t immediately published and the fact that she referred to them as “ill-formed” could make you believe that she never wanted them to be published.

Lines three and four refer to the fact that her poems were taken without her knowledge and published. The lines "less wise than true," suggests that the person that took the poems should have known better than to take them even if they had the best intentions. The forth line describes how the poems were taken to London to be "exposed to public view."

In lines five and six Bradstreet yet again criticizes her own work. She compares her work to “rags,” like it isn’t fit to be seen, or that it’s still in rough draft form. It’s like she doesn’t want to be seen as arrogant or proud of her work.

Line thirteen is Bradstreet’s way of saying the more the author tries to edit or change and influence the child or work, the more errors she sees. Specifically she "stretches the joints to make thee even feet," when referring to iambic pentameter. Bradstreet makes this line seem more human by using the word “feet.” She does not believe that a true author can really design a poem or follow directions to create the perfect composition. If being a poet meant taking on a certain role with a specific task in mind, then where does that leave Bradstreet. As a puritan woman, her roles are already in place. Other circumstances influenced her poetry almost as much as she did. It was edited by others and republished outside of her control. Even when she has plans, "In better dress to trim thee was my mind," she can only give what is inside her even if, its homespun cloth. She does not see her poetry as a tool or work of art. To her poetry is like her child. A part of her that was created out of love and emotion, but also like a child has a mind of its own as shown in lines thirteen through sixteen.

In lines twenty-two and twenty-three she advises her offspring that "if for thy father asked, say thou hadst none." In this statement Bradstreet wants the world to know that she created this work and that it is her baby. By comparing herself as an author to a mother, she is showing how it is not against society