Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds

Dry, dry, dry! A Missed Opportunity!

I selected "Lives Like Loaded Guns" as my first nook purchase after hearing an interview with its author, Lyndall Gordon, on NPR. I had found the subject of the "Belle of Amherst's" family interactions fascinating, particularly as they continue to impact the publication of Emily Dickinson's poems even now. What a poor decision I made in my seminal nook selection!
Lyndall Gordon relates a highly provocative tale of intertwined passions, loyalties, and social conventions, yet writes with colorless language, in the most detached manner possible. Unfortunately, her ability to immerse the reader into the lives of the Dickinson family and experience (or even imagine) the impassioned conflicts of its members, is meager at best. Perhaps Gordon's writing style in this most recent offering succeeds better in a society characterized by its reserve and propensity to "bite one's lip and carry on". However, it certainly does not translate well to the American temperament and spirit. One can't help but wonder if the Dickinson family's anguish with love relationships might be better captured by an author similarly attuned to such nuances of the heart.

One can have no quarrel with Ms. Gordon's researching skills; as an academic investigator, she is exemplary. It is easy to recommend "Lives Like Loaded Guns" for those researching the history of Dickinson's era or seeking information on the background of Dickinson's poetic works, and I do so with enthusiasm. Ms. Gordon's knowledge of the minutia pertinent to apparel, gardening, and general social intercourse within the university class system during Dickinson's era is peerless. Her methods of investigation and processing of information cannot be faulted.

To her credit, Lyndall Gordon has an impressive resume as an author of biographies of highly gifted and emotionally engaged personalities. Unfortunately, in this particular effort, she completely fails to support her literary reputation. Reaching the conclusion of Lives Like Loaded Guns, one is at a loss to understand Penguin's rationale for choosing its publication in paperback form for the U.S.

For those outside the all too often staid parameters of academia, who wish to be truly impacted and engagaed, I urge direct immersion in the works of the poet herself. Emily Dickinson gives voice to her heart and perspective with imagination and expression in a manner far more moving than that attempted by Gordon's tome. In her poetry, Dickinson captures the uniquely American attitude toward inventiveness in all things. Marinate yourself in her work itself and be so inspired.

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You'll learn a lot about one of America's greatest poets

English biographer Lyndall Gordon, who is famous for her biographies of T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, and Charlotte Brontë, has explored the Dickinson family through letters to and from numerous family members and friends plus Emily¿s poetry. Lives Like Loaded Guns opens with a paragraph worthy of a daytime soap: "In 1882 Austin Dickinson, in his fifties, fell in love with a young faculty wife. Twenty-six years before, Austin had married Susan Gilbert, the friend of his sister..." (pg.3) Austin had courted both his wife Susan and Susan¿s sister. So had Austin¿s sister Emily. (The author tells us that it was common in the 19th century for women to write letters to each other using the most passionate terms. The letters sounded like love letters. Emily was ¿courting¿ Sue to become her ¿sister.¿) Mabel Loomis Todd was the wife of a philandering astronomer. After she seduced Austin, they conducted daily ¿visits¿ in the house where Emily was living upstairs. Meanwhile, the poet herself was living a hidden life not because, as Gordon discovered using primary and secondary sources, she was disappointed in love¿she was, like other members of the family¿an epileptic. But epilepsy was as shameful as mental disease in the 19th century. Convulsions had to be hidden. And Emily¿s famous white dresses? She wore them to preserve her physical cleanliness and moral purity. And was she a spurned woman? Gordon found evidence that, yes, while she did correspond with prominent men, she also found comfort in the arms of a retired judge. Mabel Loomis Todd tried to become friends with the poet but apparently never met her face to face, even though she (Mabel) had a valiant coconspirator in Lavinia, the sister of Emily and Austin. Before the book¿s half done, the Dickenson family begins to sound like Desperate Intellectuals/Puritans of Amherst. Their story, plus the feud between them and Mabel Loomis Todd, turns an episode of American literature into a compelling soap opera. After Emily died, Mabel managed to get some of the poet¿s work, which she edited and published. All along, Mabel (and Lavinia) had slandered Susan Dickinson. Their daughters carried on the feud into the 20th century, when various parties were searching the Dickinson houses and finding more and more of Emily¿s poems and letters. It¿s a fascinating literary detective story. Features of Lives Like Loaded Guns include a map of the town center of Amherst, showing where Emily lived, where the Todds lived, and other locations. Next is a dramatis personae that is very useful as complications in the lives of these people arise and tangle up. The illustrations include photos of the Dickinson family members, their friends and enemies and correspondents, and their homes. Especially interesting is a series of photos of Emily that transforms her from a plain Jane to our familiar fragile poetess. (Gee, Photoshopping isn¿t new.) Quill says: Toss the supermarket tabloids and read Lives Like Loaded Guns. You¿ll learn a lot more about one of America¿s greatest poets than your English teachers ever said. Or knew until now.

Get the inside story

The modern persona of poet Emily Dickinson is of a lone writer closed off from the world. Failed love and a commitment to her work kept this homely woman a mystery.
Now in the first work in ten years Lyndall Gordon brings a reexamination of Emily Dickenson's life in Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feud. Based on new research from diaries, archives, and never before seen information, Gordon paints a better detailed picture of the famed poet. The verbose book pastes together the internal gossip and intrigue from her brother's salacious affair to the conclusion that she had epilepsy.
Gordon does a good job of connecting the dots between Dickinson's work and the dynamic forces within her world. The author delves into the legal battles that ensued of the legacy of Emily Dickinson's work and how her legacy continues today.
Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feud by Lyndall Gordon writes a fascinating portrayal of the life and times of Emily Dickinson.

A Great Read

I loved this book. It reads like a novel and presents the aftermath of Emily's death and the fight over who would control her legacy. This book is a very worthwhile addition to other biographies about this elusive poet. Read "My Wars are Laid Away in Books" as well as the Richard Sewall biography. All these books give a valuable understanding of Emily Dickinson the person. This book goes a long way in repairing the damage done to Sue Dickinson's reputation by Mabel Loomis Todd.

Took an interesting topic and made it a snooze.

If you love Dickinson's poetry, you may be tempted to read this book....I was. If you have a life, forget it. This author took the story of a highly interesting poet and her family and turned the whole thing into boring, pedantic prose. I persevered, but after the first hundred pages, I began to question my sanity. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs, then skimming pages, then throwing in the proverbial towel. I'm so glad I borrowed it from the library before I bought it. Now I can spend my money on something more entertaining....like another volume of Emily's poetry.

Interesting but verbose

Thanks to Ms. Gordon, I now know more about Emily Dickinson. The research and strength of material was excellent. However, the book could have been condensed by eliminating repitition. The quirk of inserting lines from the poems as part of the sentence structure became tedious.
Dickinson fans --love this book--ultimately!

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