Phillis Wheatley Summary

Phillis Wheatley (1753 - 1784) (Also known as Phillis Peters) American poet. Phillis Wheatley: Introduction Phillis Wheatley: Principal Works Phillis Wheatley: Primary Sources Phillis Wheatley: Genera... Read more

Phillis Wheatley (ca. 1753-1784), the first African American woman poet, was a celebrated literary figure in Boston during the Revolutionary era.In 1761, a frail child of seven or eight years, Phillis... Read more

Phillis Wheatley's status as a slave has hampered a thorough consideration of her work. While many modern readers--accustomed to placing emphasis upon writers' personal reactions to their subjects--ag... Read more

In the essay that follows, Erkkila emphasizes the revolutionary power of Wheatley's use of republican and religious figurations of enslavement and redemption. In the years leading up to the ... Read more

In the following essay, Scheick examines scriptural references in Wheatley's poetry, and claims that she employs these elements in an "appropriated ministerial voice" in order to ... Read more

In the essay that follows, O 'Neale objects to the identification of Wheatley's use of religious images and ideas with her conformity to Anglo-American culture. Instead, she argues that ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Grimsted claims that Wheatley's poetry, rather than avoiding the controversial issues of slavery and independence, obliquely displays a critical sensitivity and attent... Read more

In the following essay, Richards characterizes Wheatley's poetry as an attempt to acquire and wield authorial status within American society. I In a series of suggestive remarks on Phillis W... Read more

In the following essay, Nott argues that Wheatley deliberately transformed herself into a poet worthy of public attention, in order to secure the power that adheres to such attention. The first edi... Read more

Phillis Wheatley was one of the most renowned poets of the eighteenth century and her poetry's was as good as the best America poetry of her age. She was born in Gambia, Africa as a slave child and so... Read more