Anne Bradstreet: The Heretical Poet :: essays research papers fc

Anne Bradstreet The Heretical PoetGreg Saxon     The purpose of this research is to discuss heretical elements in thepoetry of Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672). This is not to imply that Bradstreet wasa heretic in the sense that American religious reformer Anne Hutchinson was.Hutchinson (1591-1643) emigrated to Boston in 1634 and preached a doctrine ofsalvation through intuitive apprehension of clemency rather than by works, andattacked the rigid moral and legal codes of New England Puritanism. AnneBradstreet accepted the tenets of Puritanism and was a very religious person.Anti-Puritan themes are, however, to be found in her poetry in terms of herreligious doubts, her expression of personal emotions and thoughts, and herartistry. She did not write to preach or teach,, as Puritan writers wereinstructed to, but to express herself. It is this personal expression thatforms the alkali of the heretical elements in her poetry.     To understand why per sonal expression may be considered heretical, thesociety in which Bradstreet lived and wrote must be examined in order to get over what kinds of human activities and behaviors were acceptable and howBradstreet deviated from these behaviors.     Bradstreet was not truly unorthodox in that she did not dissent fromaccepted beliefs and doctrine. She was a woman of the 17th Century and lived ina male dominated, intensely religious society. She lived within the limitationsnot only of the beliefs and standards of her society, but of her sex. A womansplace was definitely in the home in Colonial America. The experiences of womenwere considered fix and trivial in comparison with mens.     Puritanism was more than a religious belief it was a way of life. "Inthe dozen years before 1640, some 15,000 Englishmen cut through the Atlantic inorder to establish a Holy Commonwealth in which that way of life couldflourish"(Hall 1).    &nb spThe Puritans were a party in the Church of England that arose inElizabeths hulk with the purpose of carrying out the Protestant reformation,and to base the Church of England on the foundation of the scriptures. Asidefrom a literal belief in the Bible, Puritans wholly accepted the doctrines of throne Calvin and his stern legalistic theology. The Puritans held that religionshould permeate every phase of living. The purpose of life was to do Godswill everything else was subordinate to this basic doctrine.     The Colony set up by the English Puritans was essentially an experimentin Christian living. Religion and earning a living were the two priorities ofthe Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In contrast to the Pilgrims, theywere well-off and intentional men, many of whom were professionals and