The most famous poem by Emily Dickinson. “Hope”The thing about feathers?She wrote that she believed in hope “perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops, at all.”This could be read in many ways. Emily wants to live her life fully, and she never gives up on the possibility of it happening some day. DickinsonOn Apple TV+, a glimpse of teenage Emily is given and she explores her queerness in an entirely new way. Is Emily Dickinson gay or straight? We hope so.
Was Emily Dickinson homosexual?
It might be best for Emily to answer this question in her own words. Perhaps she can do so from one of the letters she wrote to Susan Gilbert, the love of her whole life. She wrote to Susan, “To own a Susan of my own, Is of itself a Bliss —Whatever Realm I forfeit, Lord, Continue me in this!”Emily, then 19, met Susan Gilbert in August 1850, Massachusetts. She was nine days older than Emily. Susan would eventually become her best friend and lover, mentor, and muse.
Source: Library of America
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Susan was offered a job as a Baltimore teacher in the fall 1851. She would remain there for ten months. These passionate letters were born out of their painful separation. Austin was also attracted to Susan, unfortunately. Austin is courting Susan, even though Emily is sending her letters filled with jokes and profanities. Emily knew she couldn’t be with Susan so she sent Austin her letters. It was quite a trick.
Emily and Austin were engaged in March 1853. Austin is at law school while Emily mocks him through letter form, her favorite medium. She wrote her brother in Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson’s Intimate Letters To Susan. “Dear Austin, I am keen, but you are a good deal keener, I am something of a fox, but you are more of a hound! I guess we are very good friends tho’, and I guess we both love [S]us[ie] just as well as we can.”It is a mix of heartbreak and acceptance.
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Source: Valley City Blog
Who was Susan Gilbert, anyway?
Susan Gilbert was more than just a victim to the love triangle between the Dickinsons. Amherst was where she ended her life. She graduated from Utica Female Academy which was one the few female-only educational institutions. She was wearing black to meet Austin and Emily, as her sister had just passed away during childbirth.
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Susan was also a poet. Although the opening lines ofShe is not coming back, I wait.Could be about anyone. The 40-year relationship between Emily and Susan makes it quite plausible that Emily is the muse. Susan wrote. “I’m waiting but she comes not back. I fondly call thro all the fragrant days. I wonder much the loss of her sweet courtesy. Such strange forsaking of her gracious ways.”
Source: Twitter/@alltowll
The Emily Dickinson MuseumSusan is described as a. “vivacious, intelligent, and cultivated woman, a great reader, a sparkling conversationalist, and a book collector of wide-ranging interests.”It is easy to see why Emily fell for her and why you are finally able to see a fictionalized version. DickinsonThis is why it is so crucial. There is no time to lose hope.
The first three episodes DickinsonSeason 3 will debut on November 4th at 9 PM EST. New episodes will air Fridays on Apple TV+.
