The Muse and the Mother in Bradstreet's "The Prologue" and "The Author to Her Book" Early female authors and poets almost always introduced their work with some sort of apology for speaking out at all. Such an apology or plea was necessary for any woman who didn't want to be viewed as arrogant or rebellious, or otherwise out of line with her societal role. Bradstreet writes as the Muse by writing about writing in her …showed first 75 words of 1266 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1266 total…it better. "Yet being mine own, at length affection would/ Thy blemishes amend, if so I could" (Lines 11-12). This is an aspect of the creative process that is unique to women. Women more often consider their work to be very personal, whereas men view theirs as a public commentary. Bradstreet considers this book unworthy of being taken into public view but still worthy enough for her to try to fix it up some more.