Female Poetic Representations of Religion in Early America: Exploring Anne Bradstreet and Emily Dickinson

Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672) and Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), two of early American literature’s most canonized poets, each explore nature, human relationships, and religion and God. Though Bradstreet and Dickinson lived two centuries apart, each poet was similarly influenced by New England religious culture. Scholars have considered Bradstreet and Dickinson together, especially through feminist theory and theological readings. Many of Dickinson’s poems, including “[I’ve heard an Organ talk, sometimes -],” “[“Faith” is a fine invention],” and “[Some keep the Sabbath going to Church -],” and Bradstreet’s including “Contemplations” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” demonstrate how both poets explore spiritual questions and personal religion in their work. As Bradstreet and Dickinson use poetry as a medium for personal religious discovery, both poets examine theological questions in their work, using language and structure to explore nature and human relationships. While some scholars argue that Bradstreet and Dickinson’s spiritual poetic explorations present radical feminist rejections of Christianity, this paper argues that Dickinson and Bradstreet instead present new theological thinking focused on God’s doings in the world.