Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 to Thomas and Dorothy Dudley, a
dedicated Puritan couple in Lincolnshire, England. She married Simon
Bradstreet in 1628, and two years later the young family sailed for
Massachusetts Bay. Her father and her husband subsequently served as
governors of the new colony, but her enduring fame was to rest on her
poetry, which she wrote regularly and circulated in her family for their
private enjoyment.
In 1647 the Reverend John Woodbridge, her brother-in-law, sailed for
England with a manuscript of Anne's poetry, unbeknownst to her. While
there, he arranged to have the book published under the title of The
Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America.
When the book was presented to her after publication, Anne was
thoroughly embarrassed but also pleased. Eventually she owned up to the
volume as her rambling brat."" Subsequent generations have valued her
gifts as a poet, and her poetry remains in print to this day.
Beyond Stateliest Marble is a look at the personal qualities of Anne
Bradstreet, the vibrant poetry she created, and her contributions to the
way of life of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Even to those who know something of her, Anne Bradstreet remains an
enigmatic figure. For one thing, there is no surviving portrait of her.
To the modern mind she seems an odd combination -- a dedicated Puritan
and a gifted poet.""