the diary of emily dickinson 11.2 (2002) 107-114
review essay
my wars are kept in books: the life of emily dickinson
alfred habegger, by choosing my wars are relegated to the books as the title of his superior biography of emily dickinson, leaves to the poet herself the revelation that her existential struggles are consigned to her work. Acknowledging that Dickinson is a “profoundly unique writer of her kind,” Habegger is obviously aware that her poetic magnetism is contagious both to scholars and to a much broader audience. she has written a remarkable life of someone whose anonymity blossomed into spectacular recognition.
You are reading: My wars are laid away in books
See Also: The 25 Best Sales Books of All Time – Soundview Executive Book Summaries
Having taken her place as a brilliant poet, Emily Dickinson has never escaped her enigmatic role as a genius. His art has not been limited to the nearly 1,800 poems by him, but also encompasses the more than a thousand extant letters by him. her possessive emotionality, her dependent independence, her penchant for privacy that marks her as a recluse, delineates a poet who has left the world bewildered by the magnitude of her creative energy. p>
Habegger, in a career that has included teaching 19th century American literature on the faculty of the University of Kansas for thirty years and writing a highly praised biography, The Father: A Life of Henry James , sr., chose early retirement in 1994 to undertake far-reaching research in preparation for her new and penetrating biographical study of emily dickinson. he was convinced that much remained to be explored in the fabric of his life in relation to his work. With this in mind, he traveled extensively, researching and reading all the known and sometimes unknown original documents relevant to the poet in search of an exceptionally strong factual basis. Well informed in all areas of the latest scholarship, he immersed himself in his research and writing independently, without allying himself with any [end page 107] contemporary theorist. he has mastered his material with great insight in my wars despite his definitive judgments focusing on academic issues related to dickinson and his canon.
Although Cynthia Griffin Wolff’s celebrated biography was published in 1986, it is Richard B. Sewall’s impressive 1974 Life in two volumes (now in one) which has remained a primary Dickinson’s Bible for scholars and the reading public. with her inquisitive, lucid and contemporary perspective, habegger’s my wars will certainly now rise to the top rank.
See Also: Seven Books about Lake Como to Buy on Amazon | COMO Lake
The main differences between Habegger’s and Sewall’s books have to do with point of view and organization. While Habegger has been free to view Dickinson’s life objectively, Sewall’s view has been narrowed subjectively by the circumstances under which she wrote her biography. Her daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham, gave him access to the articles of Mabel Loomis Todd, an early editor of Dickinson’s poems and letters. These papers contained the then-sensational revelation of Todd’s relationship with Austin Dickinson. bingham made it clear to sewall that she wanted the role of her mother to be included in emily dickinson’s “biggest story.” this sewer has done it.
In the framework of his book, sewall has dealt in individual chapters with the family and other people close to the poet. Although the Austin-Mabel affair evolved in the last years of Dickinson’s life, it has made it a biographical rallying point before the end of Volume I; thus mabel loomis todd is placed in the dickinson pantheon.
in contrast, the reference to mrs. todd in my wars is primarily a poem and letter editor, but doesn’t become fully visible until the final chapter in the proper time sequence. This adds clarity to Todd’s role and balances the fact that she had a peripheral relationship with the poet, keeping in touch with her on occasion but never actually meeting her. Sewall has clearly made Mabel Loomis Todd a sensational force in her life, while Habegger has not trusted Todd to dramatize Dickinson’s life…
See Also: 25 Great Books To Read On A Beach Vacation. – The Stripe