queer literature: the life and poetry of emily dickinson

on this international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia, we must celebrate queer voices in literature and recognize that queer people have always existed and always will. in this article, i’m going to write about the life of emily dickinson, one of the greatest poets in history, whose work and personal life offer a unique perspective on queer love and identity.

WHO IS EMILY DICKINSON

emily dickinson was an american poet born into a prominent family in amherst, massachusetts in 1830. although she wasn’t well known as a poet during her lifetime, she is now considered one of the most important figures in american poetry.

often remembered as an eccentric, shut-in woman who never married, emily has also long been rumored to be among the historical figures whose queer identity may have been deliberately erased.

in addition to her poetry, emily is also known for writing thousands of letters to friends, especially susan gilbert [or sue, as emily liked to call her], her best friend and later on sister-in-law, after she married austin dickinson, emily’s brother. these intimate letters exchanged between the two reveal a relationship that went beyond friendship. susan became not only a muse, but also the recipient of many passionate letters.

EMILY’S POEMS & LETTERS TO SUE

emily was a prolific writer, writing nearly 1800 poems, although only 10 were published during her lifetime. the number of letters emily wrote is unknown, although scholars believe it to be around 10 000.

even though emily made her younger sister lavinia promise to burn all her correspondence after her death, lavinia instead found a chest full of emily’s poems and decided to publish them instead. it is thanks to lavinia that we can now enjoy emily’s life’s work. “I felt a funeral, in my brain”, “sue, forevermore!”, “because i could not stop for death” and "my life had stood - a loaded gun” are among emily’s most famous poems. i highly recommend reading them to better understand how emily approached such sensitive topics.

emily dickinson, poems

after emily's death, lavinia turned to her sister’s acquaintances for help in publishing the poet's remaining work. however, the published versions of those poems had many crucial words omitted and overwrote, much of which detailed her inner life and relationship with sue - some of which were deliberately censored to exclude the name "susan”.

it is still a topic of discussion whether or not emily was queer, but by reading her letters and poems to susan, it gets as straightforward as it can be. in the sacred space of her letters to sue, emily wrote:

susie, will you indeed come home next saturday, and be my own again, and kiss me as you used to? [...] I hope for you so much and feel so eager for you, feel that I cannot wait, feel that now I must have you - that the expectation once more to see your face again, makes me feel hot and feverish, and my heart beats so fast [...] my darling, so near I seem to you, that I disdain this pen, and wait for a warmer language.

I highly recommend you to watch the tv series ‘dickinson’ (https://tv.apple.com/pt/show/dickinson/umc.cmc.1ogyy5s2agasxa5qztabrlykn), on apple tv, as it portrays emily’s life with modern twist and sense of humor.

EMILY’S LEGACY OF QUEER RESILIENCE

emily dickinson's life, shrouded in mystery, serves as a testament to the resilience of the queer community throughout history. emily’s poems represent a principled stand against society’s expectations: by refusing to conform to standards, she used her poetry as an act of rebellion.

now, does it really matter if emily was queer? yes and no. in terms of her worthiness, in any sense, it absolutely does not matter. in terms of her art? yes, it does matter. for if she was, and we choose to ignore that because of social pressure, a warped sense of morality or simply because we disapprove of it, then we would miss out on the real artist, the real emily dickinson - the woman who, in addition to writing about various topics in such a profound and different way for the time she lived in, wrote about the great love she felt for sue.

sofia amaral is an internship student, studying communication and multimedia design, currently in CINCO team. loves books, photography, music and all kinds of vintage goods. will find new things to learn and research about every other week, along with a temporary hyperfixation.   

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