Which writer is commonly associated with the Puritan/Colonial era?

• A. Herman Melville
• B. Anne Bradstreet
• C. Walt Whitman
• D. Jonathan Edwards

Answer: (B)

Puritan/Colonial era literature is defined by early American religious writing shaped by New England Puritan communities, often expressed in a plain, devotional voice. Anne Bradstreet embodies that voice as a 17th‑century Puritan poet who produced some of the earliest sustained verse in the American colonies. Her poetry reflects piety, Providence, and the daily life of settlers, making her one of the first American poets published in English from the New World. While Jonathan Edwards is also tied to the Puritan period, he is best known for revival sermons during the Great Awakening, not for the broader colonial literary voice. Herman Melville and Walt Whitman belong to the 19th century and its own movements. So Bradstreet is the best match for the Puritan/Colonial era.