Rowing in Eden: Rereading Emily Dickinson

At times a bit cumbersome, but overall this is a nice introduction into re-reading Emily Dickinson. The intended audience, no doubt, is a reader well-versed in Emily Dickinson who is willing to explore the poet with no preconceived notions. In a sense, therefore, it may be most enjoyed by those who have just begun their investigation and study of Dickinson. The author has gone back to the original "manuscripts" of the poems and letters written by Emily, and noted how they have been edited, censored, and manipulated by those entrusted to publish Emily's writings after her death. The author makes a convincing case that Emily's relationship with her brother's wife, Sue, was much more profound than others have suggested; and, that the "editors" of Emily's poems worked hard to suppress evidence of this relationship. Ms Smith did not want this study to be another biography but it would have been helpful to learn a bit more of some of the individuals she mentions. Specifically, I have in mind, Kate Anthon, whom Ms Smith states received passionate letters from Emily. I do not recall seeing the name Kate Anthon in Cynthia Griffin Wolff's biography of Emily, and she is not listed in the index of Wolff's biography. Without question, this book needs to be read as an academic study, and will take several re-readings to get the full impact. This appears to be Ms Smith's first full-length book regarding Emily and the beginning of her own use of technology in studying the humanities. Ms Smith is a founding director of the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities. She is now a recognized Dickinson scholar with several books on Emily Dickinson published and more in progress. I am very new to Emily Dickinson but it appears that reading Martha Nell Smith is imperative for those with more than a passing interest in the poet. My gut feeling is that Harold Bloom would not be happy with Ms Smith's hypotheses but I may be wrong. I would think he would be pleased with the scholarship. For more, go to Martha Nell Smith's website.