Bradstreet, Cavendish and Fern

It is fascinating to see the different perceptions the women have of their work. It’s also interesting to see the obstacles that come into play and challenge each woman’s ability to publish her work. On the one hand, the challenges Bradstreet and Cavendish face are more of an internal dilemma. They struggle with an inner dialogue that tells them their work is not good enough even before they attempt to publish it. The limitations that society places on them that they should adhere to their roles as women and the limitations they place on themselves, causes them to belittle their work. 

Bradstreet goes so far as to call her work an “ill-informed offspring” of her “feeble brain,” (1) and she deems it “unfit for light” (9). Bradstreet has already judged her work a failure before it even goes to press. Cavendish also struggles with the idea of publishing her work and questions the validity and worth or her writings. Unlike Bradstreet, Cavendish expresses that she sees some promise in her work because she is not worrying about how others would perceive it. However, that optimism quickly fades and she begins to second-guess the value of her piece.

In the authors’ poems, it seems to be a female voice that tells them “Don’t do it, your work is not good enough.” This voice calls Bradstreet’s work a “rambling brat in print” (9) and asks Cavendish “Will you, said she thus waste your time in vain, on that which in the world small praise shall gain?” (9-10).

While an inner conflict keeps Bradstreet and Cavendish from publishing, it is more of an external conflict of having to balance the tasks that women are expected to perform in addition to writing that interrupts Fern and keeps her from pursuing her work. She comes across as empowered, confident in her ability and ready to write.  However, she can’t physically write because a male voice, her husband or the butcher, keeps calling on her to sew a pair of torn pantaloons or speak with the butcher.