Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Thou ill-form’d offspring of my feeble brain, Who after birth didst by my side remain,”
- Source
- The Author to Her Book
- Date
- 1678
Meaning of “Thou ill-form’d offspring of my feeble brain, Who…”
Bradstreet compares her published book to an imperfect child, combining embarrassment, affection and the writer’s persistent wish to revise work already exposed to readers.
Where does it come from?
“The Author to Her Book,” represented by Poetry Foundation from Bradstreet’s posthumous 1678 collection. The extended parent-child metaphor reflects authorship, unauthorized publication and revision rather than a literal statement about children.