Theodora V.W. Ward

Editing Emily

"Characteristics of
[Emily Dickinson's] Handwriting"

     Text of essay (at EmilyDickinson.org)
    [See also Appendix D of Letters to the Hollands]

Things To Wonder About

A quick read of Theodora Ward's "Characteristics of the Handwriting," part of the introduction to The Poems of Emily Dickinson, the Johnson Variorum Edition, leaves me with several questions -- maybe even topics for essays!

Important Letters [d,y]

Ward identifies the lowercase letters d and y as meaning the most significant for dating the manuscripts:

"More than any other letter, d is significant as a means of recognizing writing of a certain period. In the 1850's some of the variants remained in use for less than a year at a time, recurring again after an interval. The letter becomes important again from 1872 to 1879, when several shifts between two forms occur and the proportion between the two forms in use at a time varies from year to year. Almost equal in importance is y, always an unconventional symbol, passing through many phases. During the earlier years g parallels y in its variations, but reaches a final form in 1862 and remains essentially the same thereafter. The open and closed forms of e are of interest after 1859, but since the proportion in use of the two sometimes differs in manuscripts of the same time, they can only be counted on to indicate a trend during certain periods" (xlix-l).

Three things are worth pondering:

• d is the first letter of Dickinson;
• y is a question asked from the beginning of time;
• Ward uses the word "symbol" in association with y, "always an unconventional symbol" (xlix).

Publishing

Much is currently being made of how and why Dickinson placed letters and words and spaces the way she did. Much has always been made about how Dickinson really felt about publishing. [See meditations on "Publication - is the Auction"]

Theodora Ward observed:

"Another important factor from about 1860 to the mid-seventies is the gradual separation of letters, finally resulting in a resemblance to print, with each letter standing alone" (xlix).

"In the years when the separation of letters had become habitual in fair copies of poems and notes to friends, many ligations are found in the experimental scraps and rough drafts of letters which were not intended for other eyes than the writer's."

"This discrepancy evokes the question whether the script that was characteristic of the later years was the result of unconscious development or was deliberately cultivated for the sake of clarity or for some other reason. Evidence for this deliberate change is seen in the fact that from about 1868 to 1872 the pencil writing is found to have two or three trends occurring simultaneously. These trends have been traced by grouping the manuscripts that resemble one another and observing that each group develops progressively in regard to separation of letters and the use of certain forms. The final style seems to have resulted from the trend toward "book" writing which began during this period rather than from the earlier cursive style. The earlier manner, however, apparently persisted as the natural one to use in later years when the writer was jotting down her thoughts without regard to the appearance of the page" (li).

Turmoil

There are two instances where Ward injects an assessment that sounds less scholarly and more intuitive. In the 1861 section she writes "Noticeable change in appearance: letters elongated and uneven as if written with excess of nervous energy" (my emphasis). She refers back to this from the 1862 section "Less agitated than in 1861" (liv, my emphasis).

I note it because her book, Capsule of the Mind: Chapters in the Life of Emily Dickinson, relies on it for support.

Illness

• 1884: Early part of year similar to 1883. After June slant and irregularity increase as result of illness.
• 1886: Large, loose, and badly formed, showing physical weakness.

Symbols

I couldn't help but wonder at Ward's use of the word "symbol." Is it because she's writing about characters (symbols) used in the writing of words (symbols), particularly words used in the highly symbolic word-form of poetry? She actually only uses it four times, the first, mentioned above is the configuration of y, the other three refer to the word "of":

• 1864: "of: progressive simplification noted above has led to a symbol made with double loop for o, connected with a straight down stroke for f"
• 1873: "This does not apply to of symbol"
• 1876: "of symbol begins to change"

(my emphasis added)

Tracking the T

Whether it's T as in Tau, or t as in cross, as in crucifixion, evidently the letter figured (pardon the pun) largely in Dickinson's writing.

"Of the capitals, T is the most noticeable, especially from the late 1850's to about 1868, when its triangular form is striking enough to enable the reader at a glance to place a manuscript within those years" (l).

1850: "Lines even, writing small; capitals large in comparison with lower case; thick and thin strokes, especially in cross stroke of T"

1852: "T (and some F's): exaggerated sweeping cross stroke"

1854: "Appearance similar to 1853. The most striking change is in development of T and F ...: both strokes curved, in some cases joined in one by up-sweep to left; heavy, sweeping cross stroke"

1855: "T: straight down stroke, connecting curve up left to join long cross stroke"

1858: "T: the evolution of this letter, begun in 1855 continues toward a triangular form"

1859: "T: definitely triangular, a form that is retained until 1868"

1863: "T: triangular"

The word "Therefore" from H157 which Franklin dates as about 1863

1868: "Little change in style since 1866, but there are more separations and the triangular T has disappeared."
"T: made with two strokes, the cross stroke often long, sweeping far to right."