Question

In "The Author to Her Book," the lines "In better dress to trim thee was my mind, / But nought save homespun cloth i’ th’ house I find. / In this array ‘mongst vulgars may’st thou roam." suggest:

A. The speaker celebrates her plain, homey book.
B. The speaker would have preferred to correct and revise her book, but it is too late.
C. The speaker finds the people who read her book are vulgar and uncultured.
D. The speaker is unable to find a publisher who will publish a book by a woman.

Answer 1

The lines from Anne Bradstreet's 'The Author to Her Book' reflect the author's wish to have refined her book further, equating the work to 'homespun cloth' and indicating its unpolished state despite her intentions.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Anne Bradstreet's poem "The Author to Her Book", the lines "In better dress to trim thee was my mind, / But nought save homespun cloth i’ th’ house I find. / In this array ‘mongst vulgars may’st thou roam." suggest that the speaker would have preferred to correct and revise her book, but was restricted by her circumstances, represented by the 'homespun cloth'. It implies that despite her desire to present her work in a refined manner, akin to a well-dressed individual, she lacked the means to do so, equating her literary work to attire of lesser aesthetic value but perhaps of good quality and sincerity, native to her own skills and resources at hand.

The reference to 'mongst vulgars' does not directly indicate that she finds her readers vulgar, but rather that the book might end up in such places due to its unpolished appearance. The overall tone reflects a common sentiment among writers who wish they could refine their works further, but must sometimes release them into the world in an imperfect state.