After Emily : two remarkable women and the legacy of America's greatest poet

The Untold Story Of The Mother And Daughter Who Opened The Door To Emily Dickinson's Poetry. Emily Dickinson May Be The Most Widely Read And Beloved Of All American Poets, But The Story Behind Her Work's Initial, Posthumous Publication In 1890 And The Mother-and-daughter Team Most Responsible For Her Enduring Legacy Are Barely Known. After Emily Recounts The Extraordinary Lives Of Mabel Loomis Todd And Her Daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham, And The Powerful Literary Legacy They Shared. Mabel's Complicated Relationships With The Dickinsons--including Her Thirteen-year Extramarital Affair With Emily's Brother, Austin--roiled The Small Town Of Amherst, Massachusetts. Mabel And Austin's Love Led To Her Work With Emily Dickinson's Poetry, Which Inspired Both Mabel's Life And Her Daughter's, And Fed Controversies Over The Poetry's Promotion, Editing, And Ownership. Julie Dobrow Has Unearthed Hundreds Of Primary Sources To Tell This Compelling Narrative And Reveal The Surprising Impact Mabel And Millicent Had On The Emily Dickinson We Know Today-- One Fine Day In May (1886) -- Arriving In Amherst (1856/1881) -- Meeting And Courting The Dickinsons (1881/1882) -- Soaring Love And Seething Tensions (1883/1894) -- Dickinsonian Inspiration (1883/1893) -- Lingering Puritanism And Millicent's Sensibilities (1884/1897) -- Embracing Emily's Poems (1886/1897) -- Losing Austin, Finding Mabel (1895/1904) -- Suing The Queen Of Amherst (1897/1898) -- Traveling And Travails (1899/1917) -- Sincerely, Joe Thomas (1918/1919) -- Fighting To Define Emily Dickinson (1920/1929) -- Bringing Lost Poems To Light (1930/1939) -- Dealing With Dickinsoniana (1940/1955) -- Battling Over Emily's Papers (1946/1959) -- Seeking Closure And Meaning (1960/1968) -- Unpacking The Camphorwood Chest -- Sorting Through The Clutter. Julie Dobrow. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The untold story of the extraordinary mother and daughter who brought Emily Dickinson's genius to light. Despite Emily Dickinson's world renown, the story of the two women most responsible for her initial posthumous publication?Mabel Loomis Todd and her daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham?has remained in the shadows of the archives. A rich and compelling portrait of women who refused to be confined by the social mores of their era, After Emily explores Mabel and Millicent's complex bond, as well as the powerful literary legacy they shared. Mabel's tangled relationships with the Dickinsons?including a thirteen-year extramarital relationship with Emily's brother, Austin?roiled the small town of Amherst, Massachusetts. After Emily's death, Mabel's connection to the family and reputation as an intelligent, artistic, and industrious woman in her own right led her to the enormous trove of poems Emily left behind. So began the herculean task of transcribing, editing, and promoting Emily's work, a task that would consume and complicate the lives of both Mabel and her daughter. As the popularity of the poems grew, legal issues arose between the Dickinson and Todd families, dredging up their scandals: the affair, the ownership of Emily's poetry, and the right to define the so-called "Belle of Amherst." Utilizing hundreds of overlooked letters and diaries to weave together the stories of three unstoppable women, Julie Dobrow explores the intrigue of Emily Dickinson's literary beginnings. After Emily sheds light on the importance of the earliest editions of Emily's work?including the controversial editorial decisions made to introduce her singular genius to the world?and reveals the surprising impact Mabel and Millicent had on the poet we know today "The untold story of the mother and daughter who opened the door to Emily Dickinson's poetry. Emily Dickinson may be the most widely read and beloved of all American poets, but the story behind her work's initial, posthumous publication in 1890 and the mother-and-daughter team most responsible for her enduring legacy are barely known. After Emily recounts the extraordinary lives of Mabel Loomis Todd and her daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham, and the powerful literary legacy they shared. Mabel's complicated relationships with the Dickinsons--including her thirteen-year extramarital affair with Emily's brother, Austin--roiled the small town of Amherst, Massachusetts. Mabel and Austin's love led to her work with Emily Dickinson's poetry, which inspired both Mabel's life and her daughter's, and fed controversies over the poetry's promotion, editing, and ownership. Julie Dobrow has unearthed hundreds of primary sources to tell this compelling narrative and reveal the surprising impact Mabel and Millicent had on the Emily Dickinson we know today"-- Provided by publisher “Scandal and pathos abound” (The New Yorker) in this riveting account of the mother and daughter who brought Emily Dickinson’s genius to light. Longlisted for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography • Finalist for the Plutarch Award Despite Emily Dickinson’s renown, the story of the two women most responsible for her initial posthumous publication—Mabel Loomis Todd and her daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham—has remained in the shadows of the archives. Utilizing hundreds of overlooked letters and diaries to weave together three unstoppable women, Julie Dobrow reveals the intrigue of Dickinson’s literary beginnings, including Mabel’s tumultuous affair with Emily’s brother, Austin Dickinson, controversial editorial decisions, and a battle over the right to define the so-called Belle of Amherst. "One fine day in May" (1886) -- Arriving in Amherst (1856-1881) -- Meeting and courting the Dickinsons (1881-1882) -- Soaring love and seething tensions (1883-1894) -- Dickinsonian inspiration: Mabel's creative output (1883-1893) -- Lingering puritanism and Millicent's sensibilities (1884-1897) -- Embracing Emily's poems (1886-1897) -- Losing Austin, finding Mabel (1895-1904) -- Suing the "Queen of Amherst" (1897-1898) -- Traveling and travails (1899-1917) -- "Sincerely, Joe Thomas" (1918-1919) -- Fighting to define Emily Dickinson (1920-1929) -- Bringing lost poems to light (1930-1939) -- Dealing with Dickinsoniana" (1940-1955) -- Battling over Emily's Papers (1946-1959) -- Seeking closure and meaning (1960-1968) -- Unpacking the camphorwood chest -- Sorting through the clutter. Despite Emily Dickinson's world renown, the story of the two women most responsible for her posthumous publication, Mabel Loomis Todd and her daughter Millicent Todd Bingham, has remained in the shadows of the archives. A portrait of women who refused to be confined by the social mores of their era, this book explores Mabel and Millicent's complex bond, as well as the powerful literary legacy they shared. Mabel's tangled relationships with the Dickinsons, including a thirteen-year extramarital relationship with Emily's brother, Austin, roiled the small town of Amherst, Massachusetts. After Emily's death, Mabel's connection to the family led her to the enormous trove of poems Emily left behind