Yesterday’s post included this bit about Austin and Susan Dickinson: In 1850, Susan and Austin Dickinson, the poet's brother, began courting. They announced their engagement on Thanksgiving Day in 1853 and were married three years later on July 1, 1856.
In March 1853 ED sent “On this wondrous sea” with a letter to Susan, who was visiting relatives in Manchester, NH. You’ll note on the original letter/poem that Dickinson wrote and underlined “Write! Comrade, Write!” This echoes the second and penultimate lines of the poem, and it seems to be a plea for Sue to write Emily back.
In March 1853 ED sent “On this wondrous sea” with a letter to Susan, who was visiting relatives in Manchester, NH. You’ll note on the original letter/poem that Dickinson wrote and underlined “Write! Comrade, Write!” This echoes the second and penultimate lines of the poem, and it seems to be a plea for Sue to write Emily back.
After that trip, Susan stopped in Boston on her way home to Amherst and spent the night of March 23 at the Revere Hotel where Austin was staying. Then, when Susan arrived in Amherst, she told Dickinson that she was engaged to Austin.
Below are pictures of the hotel, which operated from 1847 until 1912 when the building was destroyed by fire.
Below are pictures of the hotel, which operated from 1847 until 1912 when the building was destroyed by fire.
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Information on the hotel can be found on Wikipedia (HERE), and scroll down to see a list of the notable guests who stayed there, including Charles Dickens, Daniel Webster, Ulysses S. Grant, Walt Whitman, and Jenny Lind, “the Swedish Nightingale.”
On March 27, 1853, Dickinson sent Austin her congratulations and humorously blamed him because Susan seemed distracted and absent, devising punishment for him: "… let me see; you deserve hot irons, and Chinese Tartary….”, then adding, “I guess we are very good friends tho', and I guess we both love Susie just as well as we can.”
The complete letter is HERE.
More on this tomorrow.
On March 27, 1853, Dickinson sent Austin her congratulations and humorously blamed him because Susan seemed distracted and absent, devising punishment for him: "… let me see; you deserve hot irons, and Chinese Tartary….”, then adding, “I guess we are very good friends tho', and I guess we both love Susie just as well as we can.”
The complete letter is HERE.
More on this tomorrow.
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