New Historicism Analysis

Paper Summary:

The writer explains that New Historicism considers the analysis of a literary work complete and right only when incorporated in the time frame of the work, as one could easily recognize from its very name.
The writer notes that the poems written by Anne Bradstreet must be referred to from a New Historicism point of view because, beside their value strictly as literary pieces, they were meaningful to the readers in the 17th Century, first in England, where they were first published, and then, in New England, where they were originally written. The writer examines Bradstreet's religious beliefs portrayed in her poems "Upon the Burning of our House" and "The Flesh and the Spirit". The writer concludes that Anne Bradstreet found a way to speak a universal language that did not attempt to appeal to the universal values of her times and, therefore, her work was understood and not rejected by her contemporaries.

From the Paper:

"Her religious views and her attitude towards the religious teachings of the Puritans can be traced along a big part of her work. The people of her time , in England, were divided mostly between the Calvinists and the Anglicans. Some sort of antagonism lay under the unifying power of the Church of England. The human spirit itself is made of pros and cons and the human nature is often questioning and putting the teachings of scholars, scientists and even those of the church under the benefit of the doubt.
Anne Breadstreet' s writings were welcome by the English public, despite the fact that they expressed certain ideas that questioned the puritan ideas of salvation through a life of continuous attempt to overcome the original sin in the hope that one's soul, among other few selected souls will be resurrected by God's will."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bradstttreet, A (1994-2002). Anne Bradstreet(ca. 1616-1672). Verses upon the burning of our House, July the 18th, 1666. Retrieved June 2006, from Representative Poetry on lineWeb site: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/218.html
• Howe-Pinsker, Rebecca (1998). Confession, Exploration and ComfortIn Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666" Retrieved June 2006, from The Science of Art. Ampersand. The Art of Science. Web site: http://itech.fgcu.edu/&/issues/vol1/issue1/bradstreet.htm
• (2003-2006). The Early Seventeenth Century Topics. Emigrants and Settlers: Text and Contexts. Anne Bradstreet, from "A Dialogue Between Old England and New, Concerning their Present Troubles, Anno 1642"(2003-2006). Retrieved June, 2006, from The Norton Antology of English Literature. Norton Topics online.Web site: http://www.wwnorton.com/nto/17century/topic_4/bradstreet.htm
• Woodlief, A. Anne Bradstreet, Biography. Retrieved June, 2006.Web site: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradbio.htm
• Heinsohn, Robert Jennings(2000). Pilgrims and Puritans in 17th Century New England. Retrieved June, 2006, from Sail 1620Web site: http://www.sail1620.org/discover_feature_pilgrims_and_puritans_in_17th_century_new_england.shtml

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