Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry
In his Poetics, Aristotle said a historian and a poet do not differ from each other—one simply writes in verse and the other in prose. In fact, history and poetry have a long connection; much of what we know about ancient history throughout the world came to us through the centuries and millennia as epic poetry purporting to tell the stories of great men and events. The two genres also create a fascinating juxtaposition when each views one through the lens of the other. To consider the life of a historical person through poetry is both to see that person for who they were and to consider who that person could have, or even should have, been in a more poetically perfect world.

Abraham Lincoln and poetry have a long and intimate connection. Lincoln wrote and even published multiple poems, and all of his greatest writings and speeches are themselves outstandingly and inherently poetic. Following Lincoln’s death, hundreds of poetic tributes were published in newspapers across the country, and eulogies to the Great Emancipator in verse have continued to be penned ever since. But what about his wife, Mary? She also has a long and intimate connection to verse: she read and wrote poetry, was both ennobled muse and satirical target, and shared a love of the genre that formed a personal connection with her husband.

Lincoln’s Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry is a compilation of poetry written by, for, and about Mary Lincoln dating from 1839 to 2012. Each poem is prefaced with brief explanations contextualizing the historical events of Mary’s life as portrayed in the poem, as well as an explanation of the poem and the poet who wrote it. Presented chronologically, the works offer a view of the changing perceptions of Mary Lincoln through the years. The poems show Mary as woman, wife, First Lady, and widow, as well as insane woman, complex individual, and intricate and indispensable part of her husband. A combination of poetry, history, and biography, Lincoln’s Lover is a unique book that allows readers to experience Mary Lincoln’s words, thoughts, experiences, and legacy as explained and exposed through poetry over the past 170 years.

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Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry
In his Poetics, Aristotle said a historian and a poet do not differ from each other—one simply writes in verse and the other in prose. In fact, history and poetry have a long connection; much of what we know about ancient history throughout the world came to us through the centuries and millennia as epic poetry purporting to tell the stories of great men and events. The two genres also create a fascinating juxtaposition when each views one through the lens of the other. To consider the life of a historical person through poetry is both to see that person for who they were and to consider who that person could have, or even should have, been in a more poetically perfect world.

Abraham Lincoln and poetry have a long and intimate connection. Lincoln wrote and even published multiple poems, and all of his greatest writings and speeches are themselves outstandingly and inherently poetic. Following Lincoln’s death, hundreds of poetic tributes were published in newspapers across the country, and eulogies to the Great Emancipator in verse have continued to be penned ever since. But what about his wife, Mary? She also has a long and intimate connection to verse: she read and wrote poetry, was both ennobled muse and satirical target, and shared a love of the genre that formed a personal connection with her husband.

Lincoln’s Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry is a compilation of poetry written by, for, and about Mary Lincoln dating from 1839 to 2012. Each poem is prefaced with brief explanations contextualizing the historical events of Mary’s life as portrayed in the poem, as well as an explanation of the poem and the poet who wrote it. Presented chronologically, the works offer a view of the changing perceptions of Mary Lincoln through the years. The poems show Mary as woman, wife, First Lady, and widow, as well as insane woman, complex individual, and intricate and indispensable part of her husband. A combination of poetry, history, and biography, Lincoln’s Lover is a unique book that allows readers to experience Mary Lincoln’s words, thoughts, experiences, and legacy as explained and exposed through poetry over the past 170 years.

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Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry

Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry

by Jason Emerson
Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry
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Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry

Lincoln's Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry

by Jason Emerson

Overview

In his Poetics, Aristotle said a historian and a poet do not differ from each other—one simply writes in verse and the other in prose. In fact, history and poetry have a long connection; much of what we know about ancient history throughout the world came to us through the centuries and millennia as epic poetry purporting to tell the stories of great men and events. The two genres also create a fascinating juxtaposition when each views one through the lens of the other. To consider the life of a historical person through poetry is both to see that person for who they were and to consider who that person could have, or even should have, been in a more poetically perfect world.

Abraham Lincoln and poetry have a long and intimate connection. Lincoln wrote and even published multiple poems, and all of his greatest writings and speeches are themselves outstandingly and inherently poetic. Following Lincoln’s death, hundreds of poetic tributes were published in newspapers across the country, and eulogies to the Great Emancipator in verse have continued to be penned ever since. But what about his wife, Mary? She also has a long and intimate connection to verse: she read and wrote poetry, was both ennobled muse and satirical target, and shared a love of the genre that formed a personal connection with her husband.

Lincoln’s Lover: Mary Lincoln in Poetry is a compilation of poetry written by, for, and about Mary Lincoln dating from 1839 to 2012. Each poem is prefaced with brief explanations contextualizing the historical events of Mary’s life as portrayed in the poem, as well as an explanation of the poem and the poet who wrote it. Presented chronologically, the works offer a view of the changing perceptions of Mary Lincoln through the years. The poems show Mary as woman, wife, First Lady, and widow, as well as insane woman, complex individual, and intricate and indispensable part of her husband. A combination of poetry, history, and biography, Lincoln’s Lover is a unique book that allows readers to experience Mary Lincoln’s words, thoughts, experiences, and legacy as explained and exposed through poetry over the past 170 years.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781631012921
Publisher: Kent State University Press
Publication date: 01/15/2018
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 152
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Jason Emerson is an independent historian and professional journalist in Upstate New York. He is the author or editor of several books about Abraham Lincoln and members of the Lincoln family, including: Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln, The Madness of Mary Lincoln, and Lincoln the Inventor. A Lincoln scholar for more than 20 years, Emerson has published numerous articles and reviews on Abraham Lincoln and general Civil War topics in popular magazines, scholarly journals, and various websites; he has been an expert on multiple television shows and documentaries; and he is a former National Park Service ranger at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois, the Gettysburg National Military Park, and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis.

Table of Contents

Foreword Maureen Morehead xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction xix

"Riding on a Dray" (1839-1840) Dr. E. H. Merriman 1

Untitled Poem, signed "Cathleen" (1842) Mary Todd 4

"Dear Mary" (1848) Abraham Lincoln 7

"Little Eddie" (1850) Anonymous 10

"The Queen Must Dance" (1862) George H. Boker 14

"To Mrs. Lincoln" (1865) Emissus 23

"To Mrs. Lincoln" (1865) Mary A. Denison 28

"Mrs. Lincoln's Lamentation" (1865) George Moses Horton 30

"President Lincoln's Funeral" (1866) Sarah E. Carmichael 34

"Lady of Lincoln" (1937) Marion Mills Miller 40

"Mary Todd Lincoln" (1938) Martha Thomas Dyall 43

"The Spirit of Mary Todd Speaks" (1940) Courtenay Fraser Fite 47

"Mary Todd Lincoln" (1946) Reed Miles Perkins 49

"Valentine for Mary Lincoln" (1955) Jane Merchant 51

"Mary Visits Lexington: 1848-1849" (1965) Della Crowder Miller 53

"Mrs. Lincoln Given Social Snubs: October, 1861" (1965) Della Crowder Miller 56

"Mrs. Lincoln Enters Bellevue Place" (1987) Edward C. Lynskey 58

"Mrs. Lincoln's Epistle from Bellevue Place" (1997) Edward C. Lynskey 62

"Mary Todd on Her Deathbed" (1999) Julianna Baggott 64

"Willie at the Foot of the Bed (An Ode to Mary Todd Lincoln)" (2003) Laurence Overmire 67

"To Ease My Mind" (2006) Kathleen Flenniken 70

"Love Is Eternal" (2007) Dan Guillory 73

"Litany for Mary T." (2007) Dan Guillory 76

"The Foreshadowing" (2007) Michael Meng 79

"Mary Todd Lincoln in Her Inaugural Ball Gown" (2007) Michael Meng 81

"An Open Letter to Mrs. Lincoln" (2008) Julianna Baggott 85

"Epistle for Mary Lincoln" (2009) Jason Emerson 88

"Mary Lincoln Triptych" (2012) R. T. Smith 90

Afterword James M. Cornelius 106

Bibliography 108

Contributors 114

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Related Subjects

Poetry
American Poetry
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Poetry
American Poetry
Other American Poetry

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