Edward Taylor
Edward Taylor was, in short, the quintessential Puritan writer. Born in England during the Puritan domination, he spent much of his childhood in a strict religious style and among the intellectual teachings of metaphysicals such as Donnes and Quarles. He began writing as a form of worship after he moved to America as a young adult. Taylor's themes of self-examination and unworthiness and strict, calculated style echoed the feelings and attitudes of first- and second-generation Puritans. Taylor's birth took place about 1642 near Coventry, England. In 1668 he ventured to New England to live with the Puritan settlers. He immediately entered Harvard University and graduated three years later, in 1671. He was asked to minister to the frontier town of Westfield, Massachusetts. Although he arrived in the winter of 1671 and served continuously from the time of his arrival, he was not ordained until eight years later due to t
These works displayed many feelings popular to the seventeenth-century way of life in a new land. Many of Bradstreet's poems refer to her husband and children. Many question whether it's ethical or conscientious to publish works he obviously wished to be kept private, but the benefits America's scholars have reaped from these great literary masterpieces far outweigh any doubts critics may have. Taylor's poetry captures the attitudes of the second generation Puritans in its emphasis on self-examination, particularly in an individual's relations to God. Taylor's family is described metaphorically. Taylor wrote several verse elegies for colonial public figures to show him as a true master at his art. For him, writing was purely worship of the Lord. Although Taylor never meant for his work to be distributed or seen by the general public, he has posthumously educated generations on the Puritan culture and lifestyle. His work is also said to be similar to that of Anne Bradstreet. Scholars often compare Taylor to poets such as Donne, Herbert, and Bradstreet. Taylor accumulated manuscripts of his poetry, but left specific instructions in his will that none of it ever be published. Critics see a resemblance between his work and the works of the English metaphysicals in his use of puns, paradoxes, metaphors, conceits, and elaborate images. His grandson, Ezra Stiles, eventually donated the four-hundred pages to the Yale College Library, where Thomas Johnson discovered it in the late 1930's and realized its' full potential. Reading his poetry seems almost like eavesdropping, as he never intended for any of it to reach the public eye, but his work is invaluable as he presents a perfect example of the cliche pilgrim in his journey to heaven. More than two hundred years after his death, he stands as an example of Puritan beliefs and standards.
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Acceptance Essays
