The Author To Her Book Poem

‘The Author to Her Book’ is written entirely the first person. It is narrated by an unnamed narrator yet, due to the title, the reader can assume that the narrator is an author, but more specifically the author of the poem, Anne Bradstreet. The poem is written in one single stanza presenting the single idea of the narrator's displeasure with and her inability to fix the book. The title of the poem, “The Author to Her Book”, in many ways unlocks the secret of who or what the narrator's "ill formed offspring" (1) is. Since the title tells us that the author is speaking to her book we know that the offspring, the unnamed child that the narrator speaks to, is a personification of the book written by Bradstreet. Although the title is important for understanding the poem, it must not be used as the only guideline in understanding the poem as all poems can be interpreted different depending on the reader.

Bradstreet is overwhelmed in hesitancy and internal struggles over the virtues and shortfalls of her abilities and the book that she produced. As human beings we sympathize with each other through similar experiences. Comparable experiences and common bonds are what allow humans to extend sincere gratitude and understanding for another human being’s situation. In this poem an elaborate struggle between pride and shame establishes itself through an extended metaphor in which Bradstreet equates her book as her own child. In order for her readers to be able to feel pain and joy, she had to use a situation in which her readers could comprehend the many emotions she has experienced. For example, many people understand the bond a mother has to her children, therefore by comparing her book to a child, she can gain the compassion of her readers through the understanding and to help them appreciate the emotions she is feeling. In other words, this poem was a way for her to express her emotions into