American puritan elegy : biblical sources in Anne Bradstreet’s poems

Abstract EN

The researcher chooses Anne Bradstreet as an example of the 17th century puritan poets.

Her poetry shows the connection between puritanism and elegy.

The present paper argues that Anne Bradstreet’s life gives the reader clues about the reasons for her rebellion against God, as suggested in her elegies.

Three of her poems – "Upon Burning of our House," "In memory of my dear grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet," and "In memory of my grandchild Anne Bradstreet" - are analyzed to prove that her early life experience led to the suggested rebellion.

Bradstreet uses the Bible to answer her many questions about life, and she feels that God’s judgment on her family was harsh.

While the Puritans taught that God is fair, Bradstreet protests that God took what made her happy.

The elegies of the fire and the death of her children show the intense tension in the poet’s thoughts and her doubt of the God she knows.

In order to know Anne Bradstreet as a puritan poet and as woman, it is necessary to examine in some detail her beliefs and the full extent of the tragic events that affect the various episodes of her life.