"She openeth her mouth with wisdom" (Prov. 31:26): orality and aurality in the motherhood literature of Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)

Holmes, Lauren

Abstract

Proverbs 31:26 – “She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and the law of grace is in her tongue” –
is central to the motherhood literature of Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672). Bradstreet’s identity as a
wife and mother is deeply intertwined with her identity as a Puritan woman writer. Yet, the
intellectual culture of seventeenth-century women’s religious writing is not well understood. If
Puritan Studies has not tired of emphasising the importance of Bradstreet’s literary feminism, it
has neglected to investigate the significance of Proverbs 31 to Bradstreet’s authorial identity and
rhetoric. Illustrating the ideal Christian woman, Proverbs 31 is foundational to understanding
Bradstreet’s motherhood texts and the authority that could be wielded by women who aligned
their behaviours with its teachings. This paper will explore how Bradstreet asserts her maternal
authority in her motherhood texts by cross-referencing scripture such as Matthew 11:15 – “He
that hath ears to hear let him hear” – and Romans 10:17 – “faith is by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God” – with Proverbs 31. Placing Bradstreet’s maternal voice at the forefront of this
research will build an understanding of how the dual roles of orality and aurality constructed
notions of authoritative speaking in seventeenth-century women’s religious writing. As silent
reading did not become the dominant mode of reading until the early eighteenth century,
foregrounding the act of reading literary works aloud in the period highlights a performative oral
and aural authority in Bradstreet’s advocations for sustaining good Christian practice through the
teaching of children in her motherhood texts.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference
• Start Date: Jun 26, 2024
• End Date: Jun 27, 2024
• Acceptance Date: Jun 26, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 26, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 15, 2024
• Book Title: Book of Abstracts 2024
• ISBN: 9781912337750
• Publisher URL: https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/3402436/2024-sparc-book-of-abstracts