In yesterday’s post, I referenced Thomas Wentworth Higginson’s April 1862 article in The Atlantic entitled “Letter to a Young Contributor.” This is the article to which Emily Dickinson wrote to Higginson to ask, "Are you too deeply occupied to say if my Verse is alive?” – and she included four of her poems with her letter.
In the opening line to his article, Higginson states his purpose: “My dear young gentleman or young lady, —for many are the Cecil Dreemes of literature who superscribe their offered manuscripts with very masculine names in very feminine handwriting, —it seems wrong not to meet your accumulated and urgent epistles with one comprehensive reply, thus condensing many private letters into a printed one.”
It is that bit about the “feminine handwriting” that I thought I’d touch on today – but with no regard to feminine or masculine – just plain ol’ handwriting. Emily Dickinson’s handwriting.
In her book “Ancestors’ Brocade, The Literary Debut of Emily Dickinson,” Millicent Todd Bingham shared this passage from her mother Mabel Loomis Todd’s journal about receiving Emily Dickinson’s booklets of poems (delivered to her for editing by Dickinson’s sister Lavinia):
“They looked almost hopeless from a printer’s point of view. The handwriting consisted of styles of three periods, absolutely different one from another. All were written in a hand which to most persona is exceedingly difficult to read, and many words were liable to be mildly misconstrued. The poems were written on both sides of the paper, interlined, altered and the number of suggested changes was baffling.”
Most scholars suggest that changes in Dickinson's handwriting may have corresponded to changes in her vision.
Of course, Todd in her journal mentioned “styles of three periods,” and I found this (not from Todd herself):
Early Period (1850s):
Dickinson's handwriting in the 1850s, especially in her fair-copy drafts, was small, flowing, and modeled after the exemplary hands in penmanship copybooks. Letters within words were often linked, and upper and lowercase letters were clearly distinguishable. This suggests a desire for neatness and legibility in her early work.
Middle Period (1860s):
The 1860s mark a period of intense poetic experimentation for Dickinson, and her handwriting reflects this shift. Her script became more irregular, with wider spacing between words and letters, and an increased slant. The traditional forms of her earlier hand were abandoned, and the alignment on the page became less consistent.
Late Period (1870s onwards):
In the later years, Dickinson's handwriting continued to evolve, becoming more personal and expressive. While the general characteristics of her middle period style persisted, the writing became even looser and more individualistic. She also increasingly favored pencil over pen in her later years.
More on Dickinson's handwriting tomorrow.
In the opening line to his article, Higginson states his purpose: “My dear young gentleman or young lady, —for many are the Cecil Dreemes of literature who superscribe their offered manuscripts with very masculine names in very feminine handwriting, —it seems wrong not to meet your accumulated and urgent epistles with one comprehensive reply, thus condensing many private letters into a printed one.”
It is that bit about the “feminine handwriting” that I thought I’d touch on today – but with no regard to feminine or masculine – just plain ol’ handwriting. Emily Dickinson’s handwriting.
In her book “Ancestors’ Brocade, The Literary Debut of Emily Dickinson,” Millicent Todd Bingham shared this passage from her mother Mabel Loomis Todd’s journal about receiving Emily Dickinson’s booklets of poems (delivered to her for editing by Dickinson’s sister Lavinia):
“They looked almost hopeless from a printer’s point of view. The handwriting consisted of styles of three periods, absolutely different one from another. All were written in a hand which to most persona is exceedingly difficult to read, and many words were liable to be mildly misconstrued. The poems were written on both sides of the paper, interlined, altered and the number of suggested changes was baffling.”
Most scholars suggest that changes in Dickinson's handwriting may have corresponded to changes in her vision.
Of course, Todd in her journal mentioned “styles of three periods,” and I found this (not from Todd herself):
Early Period (1850s):
Dickinson's handwriting in the 1850s, especially in her fair-copy drafts, was small, flowing, and modeled after the exemplary hands in penmanship copybooks. Letters within words were often linked, and upper and lowercase letters were clearly distinguishable. This suggests a desire for neatness and legibility in her early work.
Middle Period (1860s):
The 1860s mark a period of intense poetic experimentation for Dickinson, and her handwriting reflects this shift. Her script became more irregular, with wider spacing between words and letters, and an increased slant. The traditional forms of her earlier hand were abandoned, and the alignment on the page became less consistent.
Late Period (1870s onwards):
In the later years, Dickinson's handwriting continued to evolve, becoming more personal and expressive. While the general characteristics of her middle period style persisted, the writing became even looser and more individualistic. She also increasingly favored pencil over pen in her later years.
More on Dickinson's handwriting tomorrow.
RSS Feed
