Complete WritingsThe extraordinary writings of Phillis Wheatley, a formerly enslaved woman turned published poet In 1761, a young girl arrived in Boston on a ship of enslaved people, was sold to the Wheatley family, and given the name Phillis Wheatley. After studying English and classical literature, geography, the Bible, and Latin, Phillis published her first poem in 1767 at the age of 14, winning much public attention and considerable fame. When Boston publishers who doubted its authenticity rejected an initial collection of her poetry, Wheatley sailed to London in 1773 and found a publisher there for Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. This volume collects both Wheatley's letters and her poetry: hymns, elegies, translations, philosophical poems, tales, and epyllions--including a poignant plea to the Earl of Dartmouth urging freedom for America and comparing the country's condition to her own. With her contemplative elegies and her use of the poetic imagination to escape an unsatisfactory world, Wheatley anticipated the Romantic Movement of the following century. The appendices to this edition include poems of Wheatley's contemporary African-American poets: Lucy Terry, Jupiter Harmon, and Francis Williams. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |
Contents
Section 1 | 26 |
Section 2 | 31 |
Section 3 | 35 |
Section 4 | 41 |
Section 5 | 57 |
Section 6 | 62 |
Section 7 | 73 |
Section 8 | 79 |
Section 12 | 121 |
Section 13 | 123 |
Section 14 | 124 |
Section 15 | 136 |
Section 16 | 141 |
Section 17 | 146 |
Section 18 | 147 |
Section 19 | 197 |
Section 9 | 110 |
Section 10 | 111 |
Section 11 | 115 |
Section 20 | 202 |
Section 21 | 219 |
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Common terms and phrases
Ador'd African-American Alphenor Attune the Harp beam'd celestial Radiance behold Benjamin Franklin bless'd blest Bosom British Museum Briton Hammon Burkett celestial Radiance o'er Charms Choirs angelic shout Connecticut copybook Countess of Huntingdon cries dar'd the vengeance Dear Jesus Death slew December 21 Earl of Dartmouth England equal Bliss aspire F[ellow grace hear heart Heav'n resign'd heav'nly Hussey and Coffin Ilioneus Immortal impending fate Jamaica Jupiter Hammon King Ladiship's Lady let thy London Lord Love Mansfield decision Mauduit Esqr Messrs Hussey mind Mneme Montesquieu Mortals is unknown Mourn him ye Muse Negro Girl New-England's smiling Newport Mercury Old South Church own'd Phillis Wheatley Boston Phillis's Pow'r praise Ranks for thee round S[ociety sacred Spring Salvation comes Sewall shine shore sits thy Spouse slave Soul Surprize Susanna Wheatley Susannah Swift th'unbodied Thou thro Throne thy Breast thy sacred Thy Spouse leans verse wat❜ry Westminster Abbey Wheatley family Wheatley manuscript Wheatley's Whitefield