Ren, thank you. These are such powerful poems. I wasn't aware of Dix, and I stand in awe of the women that have come before us, with the strength of voice they had, in a time that far from supported it.
32 mental hospitals. My stomach does flips to think about it. What a force.
Okay, wow. I collect amazing women (am currently obsessed with Dorothy Sayers; have just learned about Eileen Powers and am starry-eyed). Dorothea Dix definitely needs to go on my deep-dive list. Those poems are incredible.
She is really a puzzle-which is why I find her so interesting. She lived a proto-feminist life, was very comfortable financially due to income from her textbooks (some reprinted 20 or something times), she traveled alone to Norway and Turkey, she lobbied for legislation (unsuccessful because of the heated State's rights issues)... I think she thought Filmore would marry her. She played neutral during the civil war, and was not an abolitionist, but left money to the education of African American women when she died. She liked being exceptional - and said women shouldn't behave the way she did. She criticised Florence Nightingale for being uppity with male doctors, because it was unseemly for a woman to criticise men. I read unpublished dissertations, and her letters, orations and books - but the best resource is David Gollaher's book Voice for the Mad. DM me if you'd like to read more of the autobiography ;)
Ren, thank you. These are such powerful poems. I wasn't aware of Dix, and I stand in awe of the women that have come before us, with the strength of voice they had, in a time that far from supported it.
32 mental hospitals. My stomach does flips to think about it. What a force.
Okay, wow. I collect amazing women (am currently obsessed with Dorothy Sayers; have just learned about Eileen Powers and am starry-eyed). Dorothea Dix definitely needs to go on my deep-dive list. Those poems are incredible.
She is really a puzzle-which is why I find her so interesting. She lived a proto-feminist life, was very comfortable financially due to income from her textbooks (some reprinted 20 or something times), she traveled alone to Norway and Turkey, she lobbied for legislation (unsuccessful because of the heated State's rights issues)... I think she thought Filmore would marry her. She played neutral during the civil war, and was not an abolitionist, but left money to the education of African American women when she died. She liked being exceptional - and said women shouldn't behave the way she did. She criticised Florence Nightingale for being uppity with male doctors, because it was unseemly for a woman to criticise men. I read unpublished dissertations, and her letters, orations and books - but the best resource is David Gollaher's book Voice for the Mad. DM me if you'd like to read more of the autobiography ;)
And there's a wasp in there, too. Perhaps our lives have just one or two Leitmotifs, and the rest is just noise.