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WORKSHOPS » POETRY » ANNE BRADSTREET, "TO MY DEAR AND LOVING HUSBAND" » EXPLORATIONS
Anne Bradstreet, "To My Dear and Loving Husband"
BIOGRAPHY
Reading » Re-Reading » Explorations
Certain words, phrases, or images
How important is the simplicity of diction? What is the effect achieved by blending fanciful imagery and forceful, declarative statements?
The genre of love/marriage poetry (then and now)
You might study other poems Bradstreet wrote about her marriage ("A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment"; "Phoebus Make Haste"; and "Another Letter to My Husband"). How do they affect how you read the poem now?
You might also consider the issue of identity and union in marriage in "To My Dear and Loving Husband," which is also explored in Simon DeDeo's reading of "A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment." How does his interpretation affect your re-reading of the poem?
How the 17th-century and Puritan contexts affect this poem
Some critics have speculated that there were unresolved conflicts between Bradstreet's inner feelings and the doctrines of Puritan orthodoxy and ideas about marriage. Do you see this in her marriage poems?
Your personal identification with the poet's situation and emotions
How would you characterize Bradstreet's feelings about her marriage? How much do you think your response reflects your own experience?
Respond to these student re-reading responses to the poem, comparing them with your own and looking for those which seem to provide useful insights.
Consider selected criticism on Anne Bradstreet and her poetry:
On the poem in a Puritan context
On Bradstreet's life and family
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