gambler
01-16-2009, 05:07 AM
Does anybody know of a book or website that contains images of Dickinson's poems as they were originally written?
I had a writing teacher last semester who handed out photocopies of an image of 'My life had stood - a loaded gun' in Dickinson's very own loopy, wayward hand and I've since lost mine. Of course, there was not a single word crossed out anywhere, of course she nailed it the first time. There is some interesting periphery there, though - following the poem is a small legend of sorts, like you'd see on a map, offering alternatives to words used in the poem for re-reading. All I remember is the option of swapping
"...the power to kill
But not the power to die"
for
"...the art to kill
But not the art to die"
, which I find much better. The art to die? Holy crap.
I had a writing teacher last semester who handed out photocopies of an image of 'My life had stood - a loaded gun' in Dickinson's very own loopy, wayward hand and I've since lost mine. Of course, there was not a single word crossed out anywhere, of course she nailed it the first time. There is some interesting periphery there, though - following the poem is a small legend of sorts, like you'd see on a map, offering alternatives to words used in the poem for re-reading. All I remember is the option of swapping
"...the power to kill
But not the power to die"
for
"...the art to kill
But not the art to die"
, which I find much better. The art to die? Holy crap.