Anne Bradstreet, in "The Author to Her Book," creates a
controlling metaphor, her book as her offspring, to
express her complex attitude about sending her book out
to others. She has affection for her work
but it couldn't grow without sending it out the door, and
at the same time freeing that by sending her work out to
the "less wise than true" could change her creation for
worse.
Having affection in her work because she created it,
Anne Bradstreet was trying to improve her work and share
it. "At thy return my blushing was not small,"
Bradstreet metaphorically tells her "child" (Book). She
wanted the book's blemishes to amend and "stretched
(its) joints to make (it) even feet." Bettering the work
for her book's sake, she called herself poor and that
was why she "sent (it) out the door." All authors have a
start somewhere, and often sacrifice their first work to
put their foot in society to share other works. She had
only "homespun cloth" not a full printing press to print
many copies. She had to send it to the press, to be
"exposed to public view."
While she had affection for her work - she also had a
guilty feeling about sending out her book. This complex
attitude is brought out when she believes her work was
"snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true."
She worries about the protection of her work as "in
critic's hands (it needs to) beware (it) does not come."
The "vulgars may'st (it) roam" and it may not be
strong enough to withstand hardship. No matter who helped her
with her book, it had the chance to be negatively
affected, taking the author's scope out of her work.
She sent out her work because it wasn't perfect. Its
errors were lessened, so that all may not judge them. The
child (book) was irksome Scottish Inside
Joke to her until it returned, where
upon returning, dressed better than she could afford,
her "blushing was not small." Even though the work was
edited, it became better with the help of her "friends."
A child she created became a story and a book to share.
See Queequeg's post for complete copy of the poem.