Sunday, April 5, 2015
The Editing of Dickinson
The frustration Emily Dickinson must have felt each time her poems were rejected or edited for publication must have been enormous. Though her poems were unconventional, that alone does not entirely explain why she could not find publication on her terms. Her status as an unmarried reclusive woman must have also contributed. Because she could not publish how she wanted, there exists much confusion about what was supposed to be included in her poems and how, which is why the Norton included the photo of one of her poems, to show the transition from her handwritten poem to typed publication. This makes me consider how marriage to a prominent editor or writer would have shaped her career and legacy because she could have published her poems how she wanted them published. From that, we could have known whether the dashes we supposed to be different lengths. In poem 112, which was published, there are considerably fewer dashes than most of the other poems we read. Additionally, the deconstruction of her fascicles seems to me another form of editing that breaks up her work.
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Personally, I enjoy the mystery behind 'Dickinson's Dashes.' Though we are not entirely sure what motivates her to include several dashes in her poems, many scholars have various theories behind the dashes' meaning. Some believe that the dash simply indicates where a breath should be taken while others believe the dashes are a sign of unfinished work Dickinson may edit or manipulate into different sentences. I find it almost tragic that Dickinson's poetry was not appreciated while it was being produced. Though poem 112 does not contain many dashes and was published, this is a small sample size. We may never be entirely sure why so many dashes appear in Dickinson's poems, but it is nonetheless one easy way to identify her writing.
ReplyDeleteHi Taryn,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a great point in your post. I've been reading Dickinson poetry since my first exposure to her work in high school, and her iconic dashes have always been a topic of conversation and intrigue that has arisen in terms of their meaning and significance. I myself have always wondered if they served any larger role than just for formatting purposes, and I have been inclined to think so! I think, when it comes to poetry, every comma, dash, word, syllable, etc. matters.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Ali