“To Make Love Public, and Publication Justified: T. S. Eliot’s ‘A Dedication to My Wife’ and Anne Bradstreet’s ‘To My Dear and Loving Husband’”

Abstract

ABSTRACT: T. S. Eliot’s “A Dedication to My Wife” and Anne Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband” share a number of Biblical allusions and images, as well as the theme of unity in love. Bradstreet wrote other similar poems for her husband. Eliot’s “Dedication” is unique in his production, but it is closely related to his play The Elder Statesman. The celebration of human love in Bradstreet’s poem may be considered subversive, but she succeeds in making it compatible with Puritan doctrine. Eliot’s poem is strangely at odds with his theory and practice of impersonality, but it achieves its full meaning as the culmination of the poet’s quest. Both poems can disconcert readers, but they are justified responses to the circumstances in which they appeared.

RESUMEN: “A Dedication to My Wife”, de T. S. Eliot, y “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, de Anne Bradstreet, comparten algunas alusiones e imágenes bíblicas, además del tema de la unidad en el amor. Bradstreet escribió otros poemas similares dedicados a su marido. El poema de Eliot es insólito dentro de su producción, pero guarda una estrecha relación con su obra teatral The Elder Statesman. El canto al amor terrenal que se permite Bradstreet podría considerarse subversivo, pero la autora consigue hacerlo compatible con la doctrina puritana. La teoría y la práctica de la impersonalidad quedan lejos de este poema, pero con él Eliot culmina de manera significativa su trayectoria poética. Ambos poemas pueden desconcertar al lector, pero son respuestas justificadas a las circunstancias en las que surgieron.