Emily Dickinson died in 1886, and in 1890 the first edition of her poetry was published by Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. The first series of poems was so successful, Todd and Higginson began work on a second series to publish.
In May 1891, Todd wrote to Higginson to discuss the poems to include in the new compilation; specifically, she checked on poems she was missing. The letter opens, “I find I have a good many of those whose first lines you sent me, but not all, by any means. That exquisite ‘The Nearest Dream’ I do not find – which you read so thrillingly in Boston. The others that I have not, are these” – and she listed first lines from seventeen of Dickinson’s poems.
At the close of the letter, Todd wrote this:
“I enclose a sonnet written to E. D. out of pure enthusiasm by one of our students here….He was going to publish it in the ‘Literary Monthly’ here – he is one of the editors – but I suggested his sending it to the ‘Christian Union’ instead. What do you think? He was much pleased to have you see it.”
The poem, a sonnet, was written by LeRoy Phillips of the class of 1892 at Amherst College. The poem was, in fact, published in “Amherst Literary Monthly,” in June 1891, and again in “The New England Magazine” in November 1891.
Phillips sonnet to Dickinson is below. What do you think? I’ll discuss more about this tomorrow.
In May 1891, Todd wrote to Higginson to discuss the poems to include in the new compilation; specifically, she checked on poems she was missing. The letter opens, “I find I have a good many of those whose first lines you sent me, but not all, by any means. That exquisite ‘The Nearest Dream’ I do not find – which you read so thrillingly in Boston. The others that I have not, are these” – and she listed first lines from seventeen of Dickinson’s poems.
At the close of the letter, Todd wrote this:
“I enclose a sonnet written to E. D. out of pure enthusiasm by one of our students here….He was going to publish it in the ‘Literary Monthly’ here – he is one of the editors – but I suggested his sending it to the ‘Christian Union’ instead. What do you think? He was much pleased to have you see it.”
The poem, a sonnet, was written by LeRoy Phillips of the class of 1892 at Amherst College. The poem was, in fact, published in “Amherst Literary Monthly,” in June 1891, and again in “The New England Magazine” in November 1891.
Phillips sonnet to Dickinson is below. What do you think? I’ll discuss more about this tomorrow.
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