Day 3 Quote Challenge

For my final day of the 3 Quote Challenge, and maybe because it is snowing, I chose this quote from the earliest female published in both England and the New World.

Bradstreet

Anne Dudley Bradstreet (1612-1672) was a Puritan poet whose intimate words were published in England by a brother-in-law, without her permission, as early as 1650.

Born in privilege, educated at Cambridge, married at 16 to a prominent soldier of Queen Elizabeth, she was among the first to sail to the new world.

Mother of 8, dedicated to husband and family in the tradition of her Puritan ethics, she wrote for herself and family, knowing she would never be well received by society as a serious writer.

She is often regarded as one of the first true American feminists.

In her time, a “Gentlewoman in those parts.”anne-bradstreet-title-page-granger

She writes, in “Prologue”:

I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
Who says my hand a needle better fits.
A poet’s pen all scorn I should thus wrong;
For such despite they cast on female wits,
If what I do prove well, it won’t advance–
They’ll say it was stolen, or else it was by chance.

Thank you to Erika for an always welcome challenge.

https://erikakind.wordpress.com/

 Her blog is, in her own words, a place of  “Love and Light.”

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33 Responses to Day 3 Quote Challenge

  1. I’m sharing this on Facebook. I loved it!

  2. Wow this is so cool! Thanks for sharing this!

  3. What an interesting and inspiring woman. Great quote! 🙂

    • Thanks, Tonya. She has many famous descendants, both husband and son were governors of Massachusetts. Heirs include John,co- founder of Dunn & Bradstreet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Herbert Hoover, John Kerry, David Souter, Kyra Sedgwick, among others. Quite a legacy. ☺

  4. cindy knoke says:

    How sad and how amazing she is.

  5. Erika Kind says:

    Awesome quote! The quote gets an even deeper meaning with the story behind. It is wonderful that you added that! What a woman! Thank you so much for your kind words, dear Van! Big hugs to you and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to nominate you 💖💖

  6. Wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing. A pioneer in every sense of the word. We owe her much.

  7. Just Plain Ol' Vic says:

    Great quote, so true!

  8. JunkChuck says:

    As intrinsic as her extremism was to her character and work, I often thought what a shame it was that Bradstreet’s intellect and and sensitivity were so shackled to the leaden weight of her faith and time.

  9. LindaGHill says:

    Interesting! I can’t imagine living in a world where I couldn’t write.
    Thanks for sharing this, Van. 🙂

  10. joey says:

    I remember reading her in high school, although not well enough to remember her works. I remember hating that after her, we moved to all the religious stuff and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was far from Bradstreet’s poems…I wanted to go back, and quick!

  11. Pingback: Mention in Dispatches – History, Irish for Love, Rats in the Rafters -blog posts in the community. | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

  12. Colette B says:

    Reblogged this on The Wishing Well and commented:
    For today’s shindigger-showcase reblog (#7 of 14 days of reblogs) I’ve chosen this fantastic post from vanbytheriver. The quote chosen is excellent and she also shares the fascinating background story of the 17th century female author. There are many more excellent posts to read at this blog so I do hope you spare some time to visit and explore. Happy Sunday 🙂

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