As an extreme introvert, 20 years of isolation and writing sounds lovely.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
But would you expect a doctor to examine you from a different room?
@karencreighton7939
Жыл бұрын
Probably
@purplealice
Жыл бұрын
I wrote a term paper about Emily Dickinson when I was majoring in English lit in college. It was obvious to me that Emily felt emotions a whole lot more strongly than other people, and isolated herself to avoid the unbearable intensity of life.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
That is one interpretation, but there are others and I think it is important in academic work to consider other possibilities even if you don't necessarily agree with the. There is nothing obvious about Emily.
@thereseschab5042
Жыл бұрын
I am with her. I find the world to stimulating. Staying at home in my garden is so wonderful.
@detectivewiggles
Жыл бұрын
The name for feeling emotions more intensely is mast cell activation syndrome. Emotions are inflammatory responses. neurodivergent people have stronger inflammatory responses so exposure to the world is very draining because they're essentially mildly allergic to everything
@hawthorne1504
Жыл бұрын
I remember coming across a comment about her written by a Male acquaintance of the family , something along the lines of her being so intense that she was kind of exhausting.
@purplealice
Жыл бұрын
@@hawthorne1504 Someone once accused me of that, when I was 18.
@marym9585
Жыл бұрын
She was a highly sensitive artist who saw the world as it is, cruel, unforgiving and insane. She was sane, the world is not!
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
The world is what it is and we have to find a way to negotiate it with all its flaws....or hide away.
@flyingfig12
Жыл бұрын
yep and take nice breaks in between.@@professorgraemeyorston
@DemonFox369
11 ай бұрын
The world is beautiful too. Birth, spring flowers, rainbows, marriage, and grandmas feeling the joy of having grandchildren. Eye of the beholder.
@nickidaisydandelion4044
11 ай бұрын
Mary I agree with you 100%. The vast majority of humans are callous, coldhearted, indifferent and uncaring.
@billjones8503
6 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Hiding away-if one feels one can, & are able-is one of those choices, yes. Respectfully.
@kauffrau6764
Жыл бұрын
Some people simply are happier being alone. They are often regarded as though there is something wrong. We should make space for people like her. ❤
@BeverlyWatson-t6o
8 ай бұрын
Read Darkly Dickinson by B.D. Watson. You will get every answer you ever had about Emily Dickinson based on over 15 years of intense research. It is very sad, but most people who have read it said it was worth the read.
@kauffrau6764
8 ай бұрын
@@BeverlyWatson-t6o Thank you for the recommendation.
@exomake_mehorololo
6 ай бұрын
@@BeverlyWatson-t6othere is no way however much research anyone does to get clear verified truths about the life of someone that lived so long ago. You can't fact check anything with the person concerned or their friends & family, can't make your own direct impressions and have to largely rely on other people's biased opinions and prejudices about the person
@AM-br4ix
4 ай бұрын
@@BeverlyWatson-t6othanks I will read it. I once bought a book of her poems while giving Stephen King the gospel of Jesus Christ when he was signing his book Needful Things at The Book Marc in downtown Bangor Maine.
@Ldnred
3 ай бұрын
I’m one of these people, a loner…
@chrish2277
Жыл бұрын
As someone on the autism spectrum, with ADHD and a chronic illness, I can relate to Emily's desire to recluse and hyperfocus on writing. If I had servants and others to keep house and buy food it would be very tempting. I love that she is still an enigma.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
All of those are possibilities for Emily, but as you say she is still an enigma.
@ZestyAqua
Жыл бұрын
Homospains our species is awful. Relate to being a person . Most people even now are outpriced from living especially in America. Slavery still going on and especially then females were seen as property, objects by law not people. Sexism paid a huge role in her not seeing any point in leaving her safe haven. Much like Jane Austen to also grief. Grief hits very hard. Sexism played a huge factor. Our society also loves gaslighting others even now terrorism is the adopted marketplace. Been a prison hostage camp for a very long time. Remains that.
@evolveyourself9518
Жыл бұрын
@@ZestyAqua True. And this is still going on in America in 2023. We just gaslight everything, and everyone gaslights each other. Humans must stop breeding. We're a very selfish, self-serving creature that destroys everything we touch. And what we've done to the poor animals is truly demonic.
@highonimmi
Жыл бұрын
Im on the spectrum yet, articulate, enjoy time with people (when i choose), able to focus on things that immensely interest me, get very excited and animated when i experience wonderous adventures. I am considered high functioning, high iq, non aspergers. My family, friends and colleagues consider me to be quite humorous and friendly. I do prefer animals to humans.
@NickMaybrick
Жыл бұрын
@TomokoAbe_ I agree, and I hate to sound cynical , but being "on the spectrum" is definitely the flavour of the month amongst psychologists and psychiatrists atm, irrespective of whether the diagnoses are legitimate and correct. They may well be correct, but we should never forget how many people were falsely diagnosed with having "repressed memories" in the 1990s or with Multiple Personality Disorder aka Dissociative Identity disorder.
@sandybrown7739
Жыл бұрын
Her reclusive life, I believe, was chosen. It's emotionally exhausting to be sensitive and compassionate. I don't believe she was mentally ill. She simply wanted and needed peace in her life.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Yes, it could be as simple as that.
@lisadean6107
Жыл бұрын
I do not think Emily Dickinson had a reclusive life. Sounds like every modern woman in 2023 with personal choices. She did everything. Wrote, worked remotely (she published and ran a household), cared for her ailing mother, had intense friendship with her neighbor friend, "personal" friendships with men. Her sexuality seems healthy, appropriate, and intact. Had a very bad father with...well. Everybody knows that man. That's not her. That's him and we all believe it, don't we? Emily had her hobbies, loved spending time with children, decided marriage and kids wasn't in her cards. Being a woman has always been a psychiatric problem when a woman decides her own fate, no matter the date you are born. Emily Dickinson was one of the first modern women. She was spiritually sound, had questions like we all do. Her health? Sounds normal (or above) considering the epidemics in Emily Dickinson's lifespan. Setting up "rules" with outsiders like doctors sounds like a strategy to stay independent and in control of finances, right? Sounds clever to me. And obviously, at the end we all die from something. Emily did too. The diagnosis is... Emily Dickinson was one of the greatest writers of all time. That's it. 😊 Emily said she was a rebel. She was.
@twelfthhour
Жыл бұрын
@@lisadean6107So well said! ❤
@johnqpublic2718
Жыл бұрын
All I'm reading is speculation, opinion, and rumors. Not one reference to a primary source, or even an attempt at a citation beyond one's "feelings" and beliefs about a person 100+ years removed.
@shavaunaronan3188
Жыл бұрын
I totally agree with you, she was really bright and especially given the time when women were not accepted to be anything but wives and bearers of children. I do think she suffered from some anxiety which would be understandable as she did not fit in with regular society, she was born too early. She would have thrived in 2023.
@BOMBAY_CAT
11 ай бұрын
I had a mother just like Emily's. I have nearly every symptom of Emily's. I was diagnosed at age 35 with a mental disorder. I had a rough childhood and an abusive marriage. Now I am 70 years old and I've been alone for 32 years. Progressively I have almost gone into total seclusion. Like Emily I am overly sensitive and an artist. The longer I stay to myself the happier I am and feel very secure. People say not to isolate but in my case it is my medicine. Thank you for this wonderful video!
@professorgraemeyorston
11 ай бұрын
Thank you, I'm glad you've found your peace.
@nr1785
10 ай бұрын
There’s only so many times you can be hurt by people and suffer fools.
@keddy5627
2 ай бұрын
You, Bombay Cat, are my spirit animal! I enjoy my solitude and I am very creative. My origins are very similar to yours and I have been divorced for 22 years. Thank you for your post! 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽
@BOMBAY_CAT
2 ай бұрын
@@keddy5627 Hi Keddy, its very comforting to know that we share the same feelings from our pasts. I'm so happy that you wrote me!🌻
@ellie698
Ай бұрын
I can relate 100%
@audiobooksalice
Жыл бұрын
The thought of Emily sneaking out by moonlight to view a new church is so endearing.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
It is a creative solution!
@sugarfalls1
Жыл бұрын
I thought that was super cute too!
@elaineedgar2913
6 ай бұрын
It shows a strange personality?
@robertshows5100
5 ай бұрын
All short poems could point to ADHD
@ak8990
Жыл бұрын
Or maybe she was just an introvert who liked to be alone? Honestly I never found her actions to be odd, as a fellow introvert I completely understand not wanting to socialize and just immerse yourself in nature.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Absolutely.
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
Bingo! I have seen only one other commenter who has this view, which to me makes the most sense.
@patriciapendlbury2603
Жыл бұрын
Nobody knows people....none of you were there
@qozzie3760
Жыл бұрын
I envy her. She had the luxury of living her life as it suited her, and did just that. I kinda hate the modern need to explain everything by mental illness. She didn't cut off anyone's ear.
@sugarfalls1
Жыл бұрын
Or her own! lol (Vincent Van Gogh) I think that's who you meant, but he cut off his own ear, not anyone else's.
@randilevson9547
Жыл бұрын
That swipe at Vincent Van Gogh was horribly ignorant and cruel. It shows incredible insensitivity to the artistic temperament. Go paint, or write, a masterwork, and then run your mouth. Only then will you know what it takes to channel deep-seated emotions into art.
@qozzie3760
Жыл бұрын
@@randilevson9547 and mental agility!
@nledaig
Жыл бұрын
@@randilevson9547 I wonder how the woman to whom he sent the ear felt about his "gift"?
@bluecollarlit
Жыл бұрын
Agree. Is she crazy for minding her business and writing poetry? Or were the people who obsessed over her style of living crazy?
@tamararutland-mills9530
Жыл бұрын
I live in Amherst, MA, just a couple of miles from Emily’s home. We have the best collection of her belongings in our library. I just ❤Emily and her writing.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Fantastic, is the town proud of it's famous daughter?
@tamararutland-mills9530
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston You had better believe it. There are usually tours going on at the home, which is its most important historical landmark. Our main library houses the largest Emily Dickinson information in the USA, and boasts its greatest collection of items from the homestead. Anything I can do for you? Get you brochures, info ?
@tonifish3879
Жыл бұрын
She is my favorite poet!
@garymelnyk7910
Жыл бұрын
@@tonifish3879 Shakespeare is my favourite poet. But…….. I read Emily every day.
@tonifish3879
Жыл бұрын
@@garymelnyk7910 I was bed fast one year & read all Shakespeare’s works in that time. You have good taste!
@sheilahard5886
Жыл бұрын
I'm astonished that no one has mentioned agoraphobia as a possibility. It also should be noted that there could likely be more than one physical malady playing a role here
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I agree that is part of it, but it still doesn't explain all of her behaviour.
@pammcclung861
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston but it doesn’t need to explain ALL of her behavior. People are complex and several things likely contributed to her behaviors. This also seemed a likely explanation to me, especially in that she not only did not want to leave her house, she also did not want to meet people face to face in her own home.
@queenofnoonesheart
Жыл бұрын
That's what I thought of first! Or social phobia could be an explanation. But maybe that is mentioned in the video, I have only watched the introduction yet.
@MoonSpinners
Жыл бұрын
As a person with agoraphobia and social phobia, many of my “quirks” are seen as very odd indeed.
@mariecait
Жыл бұрын
I’m on disability for depression and panic disorder and am agoraphobic. I live a lot like Emily but without the literary genius part 😅 thank god for my cats ❤
@huntersdeerwife05
Жыл бұрын
Being sensitive is enough to make anyone drop out and the older you get the less energy you are able to spare...every person you are around takes energy from you and if you have none to spare because it's never given back you tend to hide from human interaction until the boredom of isolation brings you back out but if something bad happens every time you go out, forget it most will stop going out
@alunjones2185
5 ай бұрын
😊❤
@parinafernandes3357
3 ай бұрын
Are you me? This is me in the tangible written form.
@pammcclung861
Жыл бұрын
I take issue that depression is rejected so soundly because of a few examples such as she likes nature and children etc. There are more than one type of depression. I have suffered from depression for 30 years and tend to isolate, yet I have things I do enjoy like nature, pets and children. Anxiety often accompanies depression and it sounds like Emily experienced both. People can have what is called dysthymia which is less severe than a major depression but is more chronic and lasts many years and even a lifetime. Depression can also have physical symptoms as well. It sounds like she likely had several things going on, both physical and mental.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Yes she may have been dysthymic, and yes dysthymia is associated with somatic symptoms, but I don't think it explains all of her behaviour.
@pammcclung861
Жыл бұрын
I didn’t say it explains all her behavior- in fact I specifically said ‘she likely had several things going on, both physical and mental.’ People with depression also often have multiple issues which can be mental and physical in nature.
@cv6442
Жыл бұрын
I haven't finished the video... but if that is ever concluded... I won't finish. Nearly everyone that has ever been a victim that doesn't go on to victimize or become sociopathic, are WITHOUT A DOUBT severely depressed with a love and fondness for nature, animals, and children. They are seen as SAFE. It is always rare for a woman to go through life without being victimized. Not to mention, she thought she was going to die at 18-20. Losing a lot of family to a disease and then getting that disease is FREAKING TERRIFYING!!! As a woman, from Massachusetts, who almost died in her 20s from a disease that has taken 5 of my family members, and is now somewhat a recluse in her 30s... perhaps listen to my perspective! 😄 I legit just made my own Botany Journal today. Ms. Dickenson was GOING THROUGH some stuff! Trust me. She just wanted to be left alone with her comforts! 😄😄
@Peace-tk3gr
Жыл бұрын
Correct (me too).
@marierejoiceinjesus3846
Жыл бұрын
You guys are making a lot of absolute statements based on anecdotal evidence. Feelings do not equal facts. Sad world.
@anonview
Жыл бұрын
I'm an "isolater" who also fixates on writing (and cats). The only time you'll see me outside is when I have to go for groceries. I prefer chatting with people I know through emails, which I fondly call digital letters. It seems weird from the outside, but living this way is what makes me feel safe and cozy.
@tired_buthappy
Жыл бұрын
I am much the same as you. 💛
@Tawroset
Жыл бұрын
@anonview writing+cats=life🥰
@Hummmminify
Жыл бұрын
She was an artist - a great artist - nothing more needs said.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
Yes stop analyzing her!
@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim
Жыл бұрын
there’s more to a person than just their artistic products
@beyourself2444
Жыл бұрын
She was a person with many problems, somehow I doubt you would say this about Michael Jackson orPrince
@brianwolle2509
Жыл бұрын
taken as a series of emotional reactions to the thought of interacting with others, rather than some condition, makes sense to me. i am mostly a recluse also. i always come up with a reason not to get involved and yes... throw out my thoughts into a poem. i am hard on myself for not getting involved but do nothing about it.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
If you're happy with your life then no problem, if not, think about talking to someone,.
@kimmccabe1422
Жыл бұрын
She was an artist, independent. SHE DIDNT WANT A HUSBAND. That's all folks. And thank God she stuck to it and her parents let her be in her beautiful attic, otherwise she'd be too busy a slave in the kitchen and we'd never have her poetry today-which is awesome!
@BeverlyWatson-t6o
8 ай бұрын
Read Darkly Dickinson by B.D. Watson. You will get every answer you ever had about Emily Dickinson based on over 15 years of intense research. It is very sad, but most people who have read it said it was worth the read.
@BeverlyWatson-t6o
6 ай бұрын
Actually she did. Read Darkly Dickinson and you will see that she was madly in love but things happened.
@annmariewalker3879
Жыл бұрын
A very interesting video! I believe that her sister Lavinia said it best when she said that Emily “needed time to think,” and that is why she became reclusive.
@queenofnoonesheart
Жыл бұрын
It is what I thought of first.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
She certainly devoted a lot of time to thinking.
@chaosdweller
Жыл бұрын
🤔
@KateFrancis-eo2rp
4 ай бұрын
@@chaosdweller ha ha ha!
@carolinesimmill4962
Жыл бұрын
Possibly she was highly sensitive and incredibly gifted at writing and that ill health made her feel vulnerable thus seeking peace in her room to focus completely on her work. Certainly made me think a great deal about her. I watched the movie 'A Quiet Passion' which was extremely good.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I missed that one, I'll see if I can find it.
@carolinesimmill4962
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston It is a good film.
@smc1254
Жыл бұрын
I found that film unbearable and inaccurate. Sue was in one scene.
@sugarfalls1
Жыл бұрын
I'll have to check that out! She was a Sagittarius which if you know anything about astrology would make her bold statements about not conforming to church spot on. Sagittarius' are known for their bold statements. However, I think she was highly sensitive too and that came out through her poetry which is completely normal. It wasn't like she was using morphine or opium!
@Shineon83
Жыл бұрын
I love this rush to describe “loners” as being somehow, “psychologically damaged “….Rubbish. I’ve known lots of true loners (mainly writers, truth be told) who spend months at a time without seeing a single face (hermits run in my family)…..I’ve often felt that they “had the Secret,” and were some of the most contented people I know….
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
She was a bit more than a loner!
@courtneyawalsh
Жыл бұрын
Yup.
@courtneyawalsh
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston recluse & eccentric, introvert/agoraphobe etc are fairly unkind & modern interpretations. Why pathologize genius? She was probably far too intelligent to suffer “polite society” at the time.
@NoShelfControl
5 ай бұрын
@professorgraemeyorston are you actually a professor of anything?
@sincerelyme-777
5 ай бұрын
Wonder of wonders- blessed are those of us who don’t require face to face interaction with humans to experience contentment, peace and joy!
@adagietto2523
Жыл бұрын
Your negative points struck me as very cogent, and I liked the open conclusion, acknowledging her elusiveness. I like to think of her as just being a highly eccentric individual who preferred to go her own way, and live in her own world and her own company; she didn't cut herself off completely, and could interact in a thoroughly sensible manner with other people, if indirectly for the most part. It seems inappropriate to me to try to explain her behaviour in terms of any simple pathology.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, I wondered if people might find the open conclusion a bit indecisive... but it was the only conclusion I could come to!
@untamedblossoms
Жыл бұрын
I agree with it too. None of the other explanations fit as well.
@Anne-xs2jf
Жыл бұрын
Well said
@juliebarnett9812
Жыл бұрын
I agree with your analysis. 👍🏼
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
She needed a good lay. Sorry.
@twhite8308
6 ай бұрын
I like this one. Thank you. It's not radical for a woman to withdraw from a hostile society. It is peaceful.
@gabrieleamann4786
Жыл бұрын
Why is she given such an aggressive voice in this video? It doesn't fit the overall calm mood of the documentary.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
It didn't quite come out as we were expecting - still experimenting with the AI.
@rlabarbera
Жыл бұрын
It's so grating and god awful I almost clicked out a dozen times.
@racatiwood
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston why did you give her a mid-Atlantic wannabe Katherine Hepburn accent? It sounds very unnatural. I'm from Amherst. Even in the 19th century, we didn't sound like that.
@racatiwood
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston srsly, I'll record something for you for free if you wanna redo it---it's been nagging at the back of my mind all day! I can send you some samples if you're interested
@laralexa454
Жыл бұрын
Yes please, racatiwood! So this is AI! It’s horrendous.
@tiffanym1108
Жыл бұрын
This is fascinating. I relate so much to her. Between having bad parents, chronic illness, being sensitive and creative, living in a small overly religious and fake town. I left my home town several times and for reasons beyond my control had to move back. I dont isolate when I'm not home. I do when I am because my mother sabatages any relationship that she can't control. My doctors say I'm depressed, but i don't subscribe to that diagnosis. I am quite content reading or working on my art alone. It's much better than dealing with small town rumor and drama. I have friends outside this small town that i have met on my travels and we have remained friends for years. Social media makes it easier to keep in touch with them. And they are always just out of reach for my mother to sabatage.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, this is a very interesting insight. I wonder how Emily would have coped with social media!
@tiffanym1108
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston I wonder if it would have helped her mentally. I know they say prolonged use of social media has its own mental health risks, but to someone who has friends elsewhere, its extremely helpful. Double edged sword I guess
@catherinehazur7336
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston she would have hated it, trust me There are a lot of bullying trolls out there, but they shrink back into the woodwork when you challenge them with the objective truth. Emily would have to have a flip phone......
@tiffanym1108
Жыл бұрын
@@catherinehazur7336 sure. If you use it wisely tho, you can easily block trolls. And don't take what they say seriously. If you do you'll be in trouble. It's not personal. Most of the time they don't even know you. So why would you take what they say as gospel?
@catherinehazur7336
Жыл бұрын
@@tiffanym1108 why do you assume that I take what they say as Gospel? I was putting myself in E.D.'s shoes Being a sensitive soul, she probably might not like to dive deep into the darkness that social media can be. But then she might. She lived her life during a different era.....she was an enigma
@writerstemple3609
Жыл бұрын
Please leave her alone. She was smart to withdraw. She was not needy for people. She was her own person. Healthy minded. Not lonely
@jflsdknf
Жыл бұрын
I agree, I hate society and enjoy being alone and away from it.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
That's fine if she was, but that's not always what her poetry implies.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
So what if she was not conventional. Few great artists are. Leave her alone.
@dalhousiekid
23 күн бұрын
@@marknewton6984why? This is a historical subject. And she’s no longer with us. Should no subject be discussed? You are quite the ❄️
@fizzao1342
Жыл бұрын
That was absolutely fascinating, Graeme! She had a lot of grief and heartache in her life. Perhaps she withdrew because she wanted to write in same way Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West had and didn’t want to be distracted by trivial social matters? There are several strands of other background issues such as her mother’s coldness but none of it seems to be enough to account for her withdrawal from life. I liked your open ending.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, I'm sure that was part of it but if she wanted to dedicate her life to writing why was she so reluctant to publish - was it her father's prohibition?
@ahill4642
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston As mentioned in the video, Emily stated herself that she’d rather be naked in public than share her poems with the world. I can possibly relate, as an amateur writer who pours her guts into what she writes, in that it is so painfully personal and private and the thought of my writing - and I - being judged is abhorrent. ☺️ Perhaps she needed a proper mentor/encouragement in the absence of self confidence.
@pammcclung861
Жыл бұрын
@@ahill4642 good point. It sounds like she mainly was writing for herself. Some people don’t feel the need to have an audience, some are actually put off by the idea. From her quote you referred to, it sounds like that was the case.
@rainblaze.
Жыл бұрын
@@pammcclung861 It can be a way of expunging personal demons. Souly a process of cathartic expression by which you need not be judged.
@MrMikesee
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for allowing Emily Dickinson to be enigmatic and keep it to herself, even in her death. As herd animals, we respond, or react to the world we are born into. Making the recognition of others the measure of success or worth is understandably thin. Being conventionally orderly is hardly a crime against humanity, even if we may surrender to it out of fear of not being visible. We are born into the reclusion of our essential person, so retreating there as a refuge from bores, over-achievers and extroverts., i.e, staying indoors, can be what it is even without being as flagrant as Emily was not even trying. She is visible as she thought it best to be, in the living trail of her poems left like bread-crumbs in the forest.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for a very interesting insight.
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
We may have been separated at birth. Your writing is excellent, also. I love the way you used "reclusion." I understand why you did, and it enabled you to make that sentence remarkably precise. ( Me, I think I'd have picked "seclusion," but I don't quarrel with your choice. )
@jaxong.2701
Жыл бұрын
@@bobtaylor170 🤝🏼
@MrMikesee
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Bob, I'm not sure I debated much with Self about the choice of "reclusion," but I appreciate your comment. Perhaps we should consider this: reclusion is something Emily did to herself, whereas seclusion suggests something imposed. ED was a strong willed person, judging from everything we can see, so I will still think reclusion. Do you find satisfaction in how she appears to speak to an alter-ego of some sort, and not the reader. We, as readers, have to choose to show up. I'm a Wallace Stevens fan for the same reason. ED is a USAmerican Original.
@carnifaxx
Жыл бұрын
I have 3 remarks to her situation: 1) Would it be bothering people that much if she was a male? Because there are examples of scientists/authors who were also almost isolated, but as they were often taken care about by either their wives or other people around, it wasn't considered as an isolation... (But she couldn't be married or even in a relationship, I think it was Virginia Woolf who made some "discoveries" that women with children have very hard times to find calm to create). 2) What would she do, if she was not rich enough to just... exist? How many similarly creative minds esp. of women were lost to everyday burdens that prevented them to write or involve in progress of any kind? 3) Was it possible she had some kind of vitamin and/or mineral deficiency (like D or B12, magnesium, calcium etc.) that were interconnected and then worsen by her not going out? E.g. a tetany can manifest by various neurological issues and breathing difficulties and even seizures, while it's also connected to psychological problems (I know people who had panic attacks and tetanic symptoms and both got better by dealing with the deficiencies).
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I think it was a combination of many different issues, some societal and some personal, and yes perhaps some nutritional.
@jstokes5582
Жыл бұрын
I think things went horribly wrong when she moved back home and her parents died. To leave her room was a reminder of her parents dying. The house turned into her tomb. I wonder what would have happened if she had delayed going home for a few years and continued to bloom.
@thereseschab5042
Жыл бұрын
good points
@2msvalkyrie529
3 ай бұрын
Point 2 I agree with....
@rodniki14
2 ай бұрын
I listened to this podcast today and decided to read her poetry for the first time in about 50 years. The first one I came upon was Wild Nights, written in 1861 at a time when her seclusion was setting in. What I see here is great yearning and hopelessness, the futile winds, no compass or chart. Very moving and sad. Wild nights - Wild nights! Were I with thee Wild nights should be Our luxury! Futile - the winds - To a Heart in port - Done with the Compass - Done with the Chart! Rowing in Eden - Ah - the Sea! Might I but moor - tonight - In thee!
@cathyallen3967
Жыл бұрын
Why are they questioning her withdrawal from her social life? She lived in a time when it was expected that a single daughter should look after a bedridden relative. She also wasn't supported financially so she didn't have the extra household help that might have let her escape for a few hours. That would have been depressing, yet she kept up a lively engagement with her neighbour and wrote letters and many poems. She made the best of her situation. With no one else to care for her mother what choice did she have? I admire her greatly.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
All that make sense, but why then would she not even be in the same room as her doctor.
@cathyallen3967
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston You would have to ask her.
@MARYREED-nh7gb
3 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston I think you might be overlooking how Emily might feel towards her doctor. Isn't the highest rate of sociopathy in the so-called caring professions? And perhaps like many women, she might have felt the doctor's evaluation would go beyond the clinical. Besides, this is one small town full of gossips!
@FlexibleFlyer50
Жыл бұрын
I visited her home and had the tour. I was struck by the fact that she rarely left home---did she see her home as a haven, a place where she could explore the wider world yet be safe knowing she wouldn't be hurt? Did she suffer losses in relationships that so moved her to become reclusive? Or, was she ill---either psychologically or physically? So many possibilities to try to explain her talent and way with words. Was she on the autism spectrum? Did she see too deeply into the natural world and state of human emotions? No one has any definitive answers, so we can only speculate. But, we can't deny her genius for making poetry, celebrating the insignifcant and ordinary, and elevating the powers of keen observation to some of the most mundane things in life that captured her attention.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I would love to visit - there is something about being the spaces that people have lived that bring them alive.
@FlexibleFlyer50
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Her room is sparsely furnished. She didn't need clutter or excess in her life. Almost spartan, like her poems.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
At least she wrote great poetry.
@jimanderson5883
Жыл бұрын
Maybe she realised most people were just assholes and didn't want to be around them. I understand.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
An interesting question - what percentage of people are a-holes - I would say it is less than "most".
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
Best doctor in town, I'll bet.
@msoyl1381
Жыл бұрын
Creativity rides the tides of love and there is much love and much to love in Emily Dickinson's self-expression. Nothing was "wrong" with her. She was a unique individual who lived a unique life.
@Jo-lp1px
5 ай бұрын
“Creativity rides the tides of love.” Poetic, I love it.
@JustJoe827
Жыл бұрын
I can really feel for Emily Dickinson. When I was in my twenties I locked myself in an apartment for 5 years. Finally I was able to go out but not completely. I still battle with agoraphobia and it's taken so much from me. If you're living with this condition, don't accept it and NEVER give up. Never say that you suffer from this condition instead say that you battle with this condition. You will lose battles but you will win battles too and ultimately you and I will win this war.
@barbieschweitzer820
Жыл бұрын
Her poetry stands alone as groundbreaking, without having to know anything about her life. I am so glad it was not destroyed, as she wished it to be. She was obviously functioning, helping to run a household. My bet is that she didn’t want to get married, and had an anxiety disorder also. The family could afford servants, and she could afford to do as she liked.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Functioning to an extent, but how well we really don't know.
@carolcasey5441
6 ай бұрын
Can't even be dead with somebody putting the boot in.
@doreekaplan2589
Жыл бұрын
Can relate to choosing to be alone, liking my own company, while open to the right people showing up as they do. Key is having a great sense of humor, laughing at everything, especially myself. My Mom was Jana Vee Norcross from Odessa, West Texas, making us related to Emily. Her sister had the family tree done in the 1960s. Im a novelist as of 72 years old, the Grandma Moses of Literature, writing adventure stories, a trilogy of novels, flash fiction for young adults.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
There must be something in the genes!
@sissyrayself7508
Ай бұрын
If her lifetime purpose was to write poetry..then she was functioning just fine..beautifully well I would say.
@mellissadalby1402
Жыл бұрын
I very much enjoyed your presentation. It inspired me to buy a large volume of Emily Dickison's works.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Wonderful! I love it when people are inspired to continue the journey into someone's life by reading their work or more about them.
@311girl
Жыл бұрын
Can people just be different? Does difference always need to be pathologized?
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
You are quite right - this is the nature of the debate going on at the moment with the neurodivergence movement
@north_star_yt
12 күн бұрын
The day I heard that the famous poet, Emily Dickinson, became a recluse and spent her days writing…I sobbed tears of relief. I thought “omg, finally, someone like me!” I can’t help but see her behavior paralleling my own. I am highly sensitive to disorder and chaos. It is hard to go out in public for all the sensory overload I experience from the hot summer heat while I drive, the congested roads, the lights, signs and hoards of people at stores. Over the years I have developed a mysterious anxiety and paranoia of driving the interstate even. I have borderline personality disorder but I’ve always known myself to be a highly sensitive person. My early life and environment cause me to be empathetic to people and surroundings to protect myself and it has only increased with time. The world just doesn’t seem to be pleasant for a soul like me so I keep to myself mostly and soak up the peace, quiet and solitude all I can. It keeps me balanced mentally, emotionally and spiritually. My home is my world. It provides all I need and allows me to create an atmosphere suited just for my needs. It’s a place of beauty, harmony and creativity. Why would I leave it for the world? 😅 And yes, I catch a lot of criticism and flack for how I choose to live. I question everything and I think for myself above all else. I like who I’m discovering and I hope to find others like me online.❤
@professorgraemeyorston
12 күн бұрын
Well done for living your life your way.
@north_star_yt
11 күн бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Thank you 😇
@toddh377
Жыл бұрын
Always a sad figure to me but perhaps she lived the way she preferred. A quiet genius we're lucky to know if it wasn't for her sister publishing Emilie's work.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
That is a question I didn't really pose - was she happy with her isolation?
@annmariewalker3879
Жыл бұрын
Read “Lives Like Loaded Guns” for a fuller explanation of how Dickinson’s work was first published.
@RebeccaOre
Жыл бұрын
She corresponded with people she wanted to be in touch with, and she had people in the house and nearby for face to face.
@lornam3637
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston As an introvert myself, I cherish and enjoy every moment I have of solitude. The lockdowns certainly taught me that I am miserable when compelled to socialise. I noticed the extroverts in my life struggle though, much the same as I struggle when I'm with others. Introverts are a minority but a sizeable one, extroverts certainly assume we must be sad or depressed because that's what depression looks like to them.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
Wild Nights!
@SophiaMansfield-kl6yy
Жыл бұрын
I have been suffering with very similar symptoms as Emily my whole adult life and for the past year i have been getting panoc attacks on an increasing scale. I understand how a fear of collapsing in public and an even bigger fear of not being able to teust your own body may cause you to not go out. However i haven't been diagnosed with something either ! Im currently on antidepressants which help a little but i still get panic atracks just not as much as i did. I like people and seeing friends but honestly i mostly feel exhausted after interactions
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I wonder how Emily would have responded to medication.
@13soap13
Жыл бұрын
It is so fascinating that we feel compelled to explain creative genius through a disease or a malady. Dickinson was, quite simply, uber creative. Only now are we beginning to understand such personalities. She viewed and examined the world through eyes "normies" do not possess. As such, she shunned worlds that could harm her. It was self preservation. Her "passing out" or "fainting" is interesting. A few years ago I went through the same thing ... I had low blood pressure. Simple as that. A sedentary, non-physical life and routine would certainly explain. What people miss is that she was fortunate to have a "name" a "home" and "income." Without those, she would have been homeless and anonymous. Unknown to any of us. Family is important ... an aspect no one seems to want to admit -- in an increasing age of "wokeism." For those who live/lived in small towns, "Emily" is quite normal. Why do want to define her as abnormal when her poems, more than anything, describe an incredible being with incredible gifts of analysis of the human condition--which is what ART is all about.
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
The passing outs can, as I understand it, also be caused by dangerously high blood pressure. I had probably a dozen episodes of it in the 2009 - 2012 period. I'm also a neurological patient, but one day in 2012, my neurologist said, "Well, today's appointment has been converted to a blood pressure appointment." It took several years to find a med I could tolerate ( Diovan nearly killed me by causing hyponatremia ) which worked, but eventually, I did. It's extremely depressing to wake up at 2:30 in the morning, with the sandwich you had been eating at about 9:00 the previous evening scattered on your lap. Once when this happened, I realized I had a big chunk of the sandwich in the corner of my mouth. God must have kept me from choking. I think your comment is superb. You're right, "emilys" seem to be a phenomenon of smaller town American life.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
She could indeed simply have been a creative genius - but perhaps just as it is wrong to over-pathologise, it is not right to dismiss the role of illness and neurodivergence in shaping behaviour. In Emily's case we just don't know.
@13soap13
Жыл бұрын
@@bobtaylor170 Curious as to what BP med you ended up with. Right now the only one I can tolerate is Metoprolol.
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
@@13soap13 amlodipine. 5mgs is the usual dose, but I need 10. My BP last time was something like 124/72 ( That's not exactly it, I don't remember the precise reading, but it was in that area. )
@Aelffwynn
Жыл бұрын
I'm confused why you'd bring up "woke-ism" when it's the "woke" people you talk about who do discuss how much family and wealth shape your lifestyle and how you are perceived. Kinda seems like you shoehorned it into the conversation.
@lindaward3156
Жыл бұрын
I worked in the home next door on Triangle Street, shared property line. the woman I worked for was a huge fan and I think it's why she bought the house. this woman, Lynn Margulis, was an impressive person in her own right so if she had praise for her, I wanted to learn more. Amherst is a special town still; you can easily recognize it even in the old photos. we have town gossip/rumors about Emily that float around but...most of us locals hardly hit the h in Amherst, tho. more like it's nearly silent. thanks for the perspective
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, it's interesting that there are still local beliefs/rumours.
@sophiaisabelle01
Жыл бұрын
This was well made. We appreciate the time, energy, and effort that went into all of this. We will support you and this channel no matter what.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, I really appreciate your feedback.
@CaponeCabin
11 ай бұрын
People like myself who prefer to be a introvert and live in solitude..... why do people come to conclusion that we must have a mental health issue?
@ellie698
Ай бұрын
Yes!!! 🙏🏻
@davidtrindle6473
11 ай бұрын
One of the greatest poets in history. Who cares if she doesn’t like crowds? I don’t like crowds either.
@kingfisher9553
Жыл бұрын
So, why is Emily's choice to remain home (as elder daughters were often expected to do) considered odd? Talking from behind doors is odd. Being a "home girl" is not. Being able to choose a lifestyle that preserved her independence and enjoyment of nature and "ordinary" work is also a factor -- her father could afford to support her and this allowed her to make this choice. Interesting that amid all these theories of mental disorders tick fever or Epstein Barr or other debilitating virus (not yet identified but surely around and effecting people during her time) is not floated as a theory. Not a doc, but I'd say anxiety that grew as the grieving process failed to come to the stage of acceptance. Be interesting to know what took place while she was at her aunt's house after the first terrible grief. Apparently whatever was said or done there helped. However, trauma and grief continued w/o a useful philosophy to mitigate the shock, fear and pain. By all accounts, many, many women "went crazy" after too much death (particularly the death of their children) in those earlier centuries.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
She was considered odd in her own lifetime - but I agree there were many factors that could have led to her reclusiveness.
@BeverlyWatson-t6o
8 ай бұрын
Read Darkly Dickinson by B.D. Watson. You will get every answer you ever had about Emily Dickinson based on over 15 years of intense research. It is very sad, but most people who have read it said it was worth the read.
@BeverlyWatson-t6o
8 ай бұрын
Please professor read my book Darkly Dickinson by B.D. Watson. I did so much research. I would have loved to have contributed to your youtube video. I studied her for over 15 years nonstop. @@professorgraemeyorston
@davidscherer9623
Жыл бұрын
I am so thrilled to have come across your channel, can't stop watching. Thank you!
@sherriefehring8963
Жыл бұрын
I believe she was an empathic soul who desired private isolation for peace in her life.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I'm sure you're right.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
Private isolation is OK.
@Samphire2
Жыл бұрын
I am watching this because i see similarities between Emily and myself, i found it interesting what you had to say. I doubt we will ever know the real reason she was reclusive, i started to become reclusive in my 30's and i am now 48 and haven't left the house for 3 years. There is nothing wrong with me, i don't care much for the outside world and this is how i feel content to live, perhaps Emily had similar reasons, or her own reasons and maybe it wasn't because there was something wrong with her.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Yes, you could be right.
@deborahboucha9375
Жыл бұрын
I can relate . I believe Emily had lupus. I struggle with SLE and prior to my diagnosis I did not leave my home for several years.
@juliajohnson5276
Жыл бұрын
Jen, was curious as to how you get food and can afford to not work.
@Samphire2
Жыл бұрын
@@juliajohnson5276 I get a delivery once a week from the supermarket, they leave it at my door.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
Don't leave the Boat. Chef in Apocalypse Now.
@lori-annefay4138
Жыл бұрын
I can totally relate to her. Perhaps she just didn't feel safe, appreciated, or understood. People can be judgemental, snipey, or gossips. Her life was lived through her inner world, not the external. Being from Massachusetts (the witch burning state) and having been raised by a puritanical family, it's easy for me to see how she could have gone agoraphobic. Your comfort zone shifts and the world for an HSP/Empath feels overwhelming.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I like your alternative name for Massachusetts!
@MrMikesee
Жыл бұрын
Shaming and blaming is over-rated, and it's not aerobic, never mind what the label says. Let's all take a few deep breaths.
@katec9893
2 ай бұрын
Well said Lori Anne, I relate to her a lot too.
@Pera152
Жыл бұрын
There was a questioning of her sexuality. She may have been a bisexual and she didn't conform to the mainstream religious belief that would explain a lot. It's normal that she didn't feel like she would fit in in the society. She probably had CPTSD because it feels like she wasn't loved by her caregivers and she couldn't find meaning, and everyone she cared about kept dying while she survived. Not having CPTSD wouldn't be normal. Either having a personality disorder or CPTSD would have been normal for her case. She may have had social anxiety which is something that gives you a panic attack even when you are alone in a public place, just in case you encounter someone and you wouldn't know how to react. She probably had a low key depression all her life. Something like dysthymia which doesn't easily go away and lasts for years. Physical illness feeds it too, you feel fatigued, confused and you can't trust your energy level and wellbeing and you feel like you are destined to feel this way. You can have a major depressive episode upon that so it's double depression. I'm not sure whether she had those. She probably did. It may just look like physical illness sometimes because not everyone goes to bed and cries and cries. Some people just shut down or sometimes you just shut down. I speak from experience.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
All of those are possibilities.
@pammcclung861
Жыл бұрын
@Fill Your Cup I agree with all that you said. Very well put. You describe dysthymia quite well and it has (or can have) differing symptoms and also physical ailments associated as well as anxiety in one form or another and can last decades. It also sounds like she did not have a strong support system. Her poetry was likely her main antidote or means to deal with her condition. When I can muster up the energy, my creative outlets are one of the few things that lift my spirits and give me enjoyment and make me feel better.
@patrickhicks9880
Жыл бұрын
She was a genius maybe her personality and her creativity went hand in hand
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Possibly - do you think she considered herself to be a genius?
@annestrada1724
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston yes
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
She was an unloaded Gun and a great poet.
@alanice8087
11 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@professorgraemeyorston
11 ай бұрын
Thank you, much appreciated.
@ziziroberts8041
Жыл бұрын
Sadness and metaphysical beauty flowing from her pen. Let her words speak to your soul. Watch more than one video about her life. I'm going to look for articles and a full biography or two..
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Did she need to be so sad?
@ziziroberts8041
Жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Not all of her enormous body of work is sad.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
No flies buzzed.
@RazzberryRachel
5 ай бұрын
You make the best shows on KZitem. Thank you so much!
@professorgraemeyorston
5 ай бұрын
Wow, thank you!
@jeanneganrude8549
Жыл бұрын
Coming in here as the lightweight, I just want to recommend the Apple series “Dickinson”. As much as I always loved her poems, watching this series is such a beautiful escape. Of course she’s more beautiful in this than in reality, thank you Hollywood, but it’s still such a gorgeous way to feast upon her lyrical writings and the events in her life that may have formed her artistic genius. She is … and will always be my favorite poet of all time ~
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I agree - I think it is a very cleverly written show.
@davidward4329
Ай бұрын
Creative is fueled by isolation . The space and time to explore it fully
@professorgraemeyorston
Ай бұрын
But few people have had to take it to the extreme that Emily did.
@EatPrayCrunch1
Жыл бұрын
Coming from a very neurodiverse family, it sounds very much that she was twice exceptional with autism and/or adhd. A very large percentage of creative geniuses are neurodivergent. Their neurodivergence gives them intellectual and creative super powers. Most people on the autism spectrum have anxiety because the world is sensory overload, and emotions are more intense than for neurotypical people. It seems like a pretty likely possibility for Emily...also considering that her parents seemed to have some autistic traits in her descriptions of them too...and it is highly genetic. Also, a disproportionate number of neurodivergent people are gay or bisexual or sexually nonconforming. Autistic people are often nonconforming in general, and don't follow trends just because they are trendy. They make thoughtful, calucated, rational decisions...much like she did with her views on religion.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I agree.
@ASDTadpole
6 күн бұрын
I have ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). I am an artist/poet - a creative - and I have always been considered a "loner", even as a child. I am more or less a recluse now, because I am highly sensitive in all areas of life, and it becomes exhausting, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I love nature, and being in nature though. The need to be alone is incredibly powerful, and it overrides everything else in life - absolutely everything, even family. I do feel that it's possible that Emily had ASD too. I have always felt a connection to her, right from when I was a child (I am now 60) and I think I would have liked her, and got on with her, which is rather ironic in this case, I suppose. We will never know why she was the way she was, it can never be possible now to find the answer, and I do believe that she would have hated all the speculation about her, if she could have ever known in advance about it. I have never been right for this world. Perhaps Emily felt like that too.
@professorgraemeyorston
6 күн бұрын
I agree, I think she most likely on the spectrum.
@michaelciccone2194
Жыл бұрын
Whoever is playing the part of Emily in this video sounds like a kid in Reform school. Emily did not talk like a spoiled Millennial kid. Emily had a much better upbringing!
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I was just trying to challenge the conventional view a little, but it was a bit too extreme!
@nickandmikec
Жыл бұрын
Her dog, Carlo, died when she was 36. The dog was her constant companion. She ventured out daily with Carlo and even attended a party a friend had at her home; she also went on a trip to Washington, D.C with her sister. It wasn't until after Carlo's death that she became increasingly private. She also had a debilitating disease which made going out in public difficult. Read the book, "Shaggy Muses," by Maureen Adams, pages 99-137 for a true description and account of what Emily Dickinson was really like. "My Wars are Laid Away in Books" by Alfred Habegger is perhaps the best biography about Emily Dickinson's life and what really happened during her life with regard about her later reclusive nature.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
There are lots of books and papers about Emily, all making compelling cases for their own pet theories, how should we decide which one to believe?
@STR82DVD
6 ай бұрын
She remains an enigma. Thanks Doc.
@neoanderson726
Жыл бұрын
what sane intelligent human would not want to hide from the world
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Most sane intelligent people.
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
Especially today.
@ShownAsada
11 күн бұрын
Now I know why I love her poems.
@robertamirtha4242
Жыл бұрын
I think there's a simple explanation for Emily Dickinson's reclusive lifestyle. I relate to it myself. 3:33 Apparently she was what's defined nowadays as "emotionally neglected." Besides this, it comes down to temperament or personality, that is, being introverted by nature.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Possibly, but I think she was more complex than that.
@richardallen3289
Жыл бұрын
I always stop and talk to her when I go north ,but I don't leave paper & pencil .So beautiful in her writings.Why does everybody judge her?
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I'm trying to understand her, not judge her.
@440SPN
Жыл бұрын
@richardallen: Emily is an angel.
@sstolarik
Жыл бұрын
Highly empathic, HSP, social-anxiety presenting as if she were on the Autistic spectrum, father that was highly-emotionally charged which overwhelmed her, traumas that caused a PTSD, mother’s death sent her into a clinical burnout. Isolation due to extreme agoraphobia as a symptom of the burnout. …would be my guess.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I think that is a fair summary!
@greyeyes_of_wonderland9298
8 ай бұрын
I just wanted to say: I really like this video. I have been writing a paper for the past couple of months on the link between mental illness and creativity, and one of the subjects I am examining is Emily Dickinson. This documentary is one of the sources I have been heavily using in discussing her seclusion due to the fact that you very clearly talk about just about every possible theory, and most of my other sources have not been so generous. I won't claim I agree with everything you say, but certainly propose some very interesting questions and arguements
@professorgraemeyorston
7 ай бұрын
Glad to be of service!
@billjones8503
6 ай бұрын
She was a genius, & her poetry was her life. Without disregarding other life factors, I just think it was a personal choice-much like nuns chose God, prayer & meditation-she chose mostly life alone with her thoughts, & writing some of the most unique poetry ever written.
@laraoneal7284
5 ай бұрын
I’m starting to binge on ur content Professor YORSTON. I just subbed to u yesterday 4/21/24x. Love that u are a forensic psychiatrist. I was a psychology major in college but do to circumstances I dropped out. Love ur analyses of ur subjects here. Anyway I’m trying to catch up on your vids bc I’m so new here. Ty so much for ur uploading of brilliant content.
@professorgraemeyorston
5 ай бұрын
Welcome aboard!
@laurabuehler
Жыл бұрын
1) It was possible to survive tuberculosis/consumption back then, although not many did survive. She may have feared that she could still transmit it (if she had it). She also may have feared being exposed to germs from others, and that could explain her avoidance behavior. 2) As someone else stated, she may have developed agoraphobia. The description of being in church sounds very similar to agoraphobia. That's something that usually develops gradually, although it can come on suddenly for some people. 3) OCD she could have had OCD, and avoiding germs or unfamiliar people could have been a manifestation of it. 4) PTSD. Could she have been raped or molested at school? Was she impregnated, whether through a consentual or forceful situation? Being sent to live with a distant relative was often used as a means to have a child in secret. If that was the case, she would have been required to not be seen by anyone and stay hidden. That could have resulted in a continuing desire to remain hidden or a fear of being seen. 4) Depression is likely, but I don't think she was bipolar. In a manic state she might have done something impulsive, such as self-publishing her poems, or some other action that would have been frowned upon during that time period. 6) disfigurement? Perhaps she had some kind of visible flaw, even as simple as acne, that she wanted to conceal? Or, alternatively, there is a disorder where someone believes they are disfigured or unsightly even though there are no visible indications of it.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Laura, some interesting suggestions - I think that is why she remains elusive, because so many explanations are possible.
@joanr3189
Жыл бұрын
“That I did always love I give thee proof…” would have made a fitting end to this fascinating lecture and revealed more of her heart’s blood.
@louramcqueen
Жыл бұрын
I became to emotional at church once and had an emotional induced seizure… it was horrible, I only leave home (my nest) when I have to! The more I hear about her, the more alike we are and for some reason it makes me feel like less of a freak!
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
There is an endless variety of people in the world - never feel a freak - just because you might do things differently to other people doesn't mean that what you're doing is wrong.
@jilltagmorris
Ай бұрын
Thank yet again. ❤
@professorgraemeyorston
Ай бұрын
You're welcome 😊
@janinetheo
Жыл бұрын
She was lucky to have the privilege to be able to stay at home and write.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
True, most people did not.
@TheDru78
4 ай бұрын
Great work on the videos. They’re very informative and enjoyable. Not a big fan of the soundbite quotations though.
@laralexa454
Жыл бұрын
I’ve just discovered your channel, and this episode is enchanting…except for the voice given to Emily. 😟 I’m sure the person meant well, but it’s harsh, forced, aggressive. It lends nothing to contemplation of a gentler (in some ways) time, and while Emily was something of a rebel, such a vocalization absolutely clashes with her poetry.
@LilyGazou
Жыл бұрын
I must agree. It’s startling.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I agree too, it didn't quite work out as we had predicted - the idea was to be different to the quiet poetry reading voice that everyone normally uses to challenge some of the preconceptions about her.... I think we overdid it!
@juliajohnson5276
Жыл бұрын
I was thinking the same thing.😫
@LB-rc3nt
Жыл бұрын
Agreed..I'm an extremely sound sensitive person in general, and the narrative "voice of Emily" in this production, almost completely drove me away!!! It was just so hard and harsh and abrasive!!! I chose to just make myself endure it, because I was engaged in the information. I'm hopeful this will not be repeated in any future poetic type presentaions. Most people who are poetically inclined, are also sensitive to the musical quality, of the humanly spoken word. The only soft presence in this presentation, was in the few seconds of gentle narration, engaged in expressing 'wild nights.' I wondered if it was even the same person speaking there; as 'that tone' would have been simply perfect throughout. So here's to a thoughtful consideration..As 'they' so insightfully say, .."Presentation is everything!!"..
@RB-xj9kr
9 ай бұрын
Live theatre voice would be fine, but she sounded like a fishwife with a cold. You didn’t overdo it, the tone and the intonation were both wrong. And the meter.
@terryolsson4145
Жыл бұрын
I too can sympathise with Emily as I have written maybe 100 decent poems myself that cover many aspects of life and prefer my own company. I believe she was acutely sensitive due to her own inert passions and that made mingling with ordinary "boring and opinionated" people difficult.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing.
@lostsoul8143
17 күн бұрын
''stand alone in rebellion'' 🖤 Emily Dickenson 🕯
@angelinanobile6212
Жыл бұрын
Dear Professor, I quite enjoyed your exploration of into the enigma of Emily Dickinson. Your exclusion of mental maladies I definitely concur. Emily was an highly empathetic being which perhaps forced her to the road less traveled. Her constant creative drive, her obviously high intellect and curiosity about many things most certainly can result in episodes of exhausting over stimulation. Some people are in the world but not of the world. Emily’s attempts to find her place must have frustrated and brought with it a miasma that unsettled her. I don’t find it in the least bit strange that she chose a rather cloistered life. I chose to live that way myself when I got older. The heart and the mind simply exhaust themselves with deep contemplative thought. I also greed that she probably did not have epilepsy but her spells were ischemic episodes in her brain. I’ve had 2 and her response coming out of them mirror my own experience. Emily was Emily. Her personality may have been odd to others…..but deep down I believed she knew she was choosing her actions and the path those actions freely directed her . Thank you for an evening of a little sherry and a good insightful study of Emily Dickinson.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for sharing her own experiences.
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
The archetype of the agonizingly sensitive, emotionally mangled and physically weak creative genius seems to be a myth. Most creative geniuses have proven to be rather robust people. Bach must have had some natural upper in his system to have enabled him to sire all those children. ( Double entendre free for your enjoyment. )
@thehistory_student
9 ай бұрын
A fascinating insight into the life and mind of Emily Dickinson. Thank you 🙏
@professorgraemeyorston
9 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it.
@sidneyfox4625
Жыл бұрын
Very well done! ❤
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@9Ballr
Жыл бұрын
Emily Dickinson's poetry is incredibly rich, subtle, dense, and insightful. She was brilliant and revolutionary. By the way, locals do not pronounce the "h" in "Amherst." It's pronounced as if it were written "Amerst."
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you - I concluded that as I'm not a local it sounded a bit wrong to drop the h.
@ohmeowzer1
Жыл бұрын
Liked and subscribed I will have to go back and look at more videos…awesome…
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you - there's about 100 to choose from!
@Morpheus1910
4 ай бұрын
Brilliant video; I took copious notes. Thank you so much!! Subscribing at once.
@fawn1703
Жыл бұрын
She was a poetic genius of the Romantic variety. Her cold will and sequestration enhanced her imagination and creativity. Yes, she was an emotional vampire. Yes, she was strange. Note this charming little dagger she sent to a woman whose cousin drowned in Walden Pond.(!) Dear friend, What a reception for you! Did she wait for your approbation? Her deferring to die until you came seemed to me so confiding--as if nothing should be presumed. It can probably never be real to you. It's kind of along the lines of saying, "It was nice of her to wait for you to get there to die." Had Dickinson been our contemporary, she would have gone to law school, living up to the "I'm nobody..." Thank God she's not.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Emotional vampire! Now that's an interesting idea!
@michellegomes2030
Жыл бұрын
Amazing content Professor! Thank you! ❤
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@extraolive2006
Жыл бұрын
The braying vocal fry of whoever is speaking ED's parts is ghastly. Her accent would have been refined - educated and polished.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Yes, it didn't quite work as I'd hoped.
@amycrowell3972
Жыл бұрын
Enjoyed this video very much! ☺️
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@SN-sz7kw
Жыл бұрын
I’m a bit of a misanthrope & definitely an introvert. I’ve had an active life out of necessity - but having retired early I’m extremely reclusive - because I can be. It’s my contented version of “suffer no fools.” Alone does not equal lonely. And reclusiveness is not a pathology. Maybe she just preferred it & chose it because she could.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Quite possibly.
@MapleSyrupPoet
7 ай бұрын
Thank you Professor 😊
@professorgraemeyorston
7 ай бұрын
My pleasure.
@cynthia-bt
Жыл бұрын
As a writer who has similar traits to Emily … I conclude that there was nothing wrong with her. Different ages influence different behavior. I believe she was very much talented and true to her art.
@BeverlyWatson-t6o
8 ай бұрын
Read Darkly Dickinson by B.D. Watson. You will get every answer you ever had about Emily Dickinson based on over 15 years of intense research. It is very sad, but most people who have read it said it was worth the read.
@pmd7914
Жыл бұрын
I had/have agoraphobia. Didn't leave home much for 10 years, only if needed. Difficult for me to imagine now, but realise it could happen again.
@juliebarnett9812
Жыл бұрын
Since Emily never went outside, I have to believe she was severely deficient in vitamin D. This could have affected her health and mental well-being. I enjoyed this presentation and your conclusion. It's interesting to see her evolve from the 16 or 17 year-old belle of the ball into the reclusive woman talking through the door. For some reason, she chose to disconnect. I also found her comment about preferring to be her father's slave as opposed to a husband's slave to be interesting. That smacked of cynicism and a lack of hope, if you ask me, yet she seemed to have hope in her youth. And she seemed to think and feel great admiration for Susan, the neighbor. What happened to her? I feel like something happened to Emily. Something quite emotional and personal. Perhaps a series of unfortunate events for her emotionally, perhaps one big event. Life became too much, perhaps, yet i was taken aback by the discription of her where the gentleman just wanted to get away from her, inferring she had a toxic, vampirish, and soul-sucking persona. Too much time alone can do all kinds of things to you mentally.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Interesting point about the Vit D. Low levels of this are associated with low mood, so perhaps it was a vicious circle. There has been lots of speculation about what might have happened to her - but it is all speculation.
@johncarroll772
Жыл бұрын
Wasn't she a keen gardener, lm sure she was exposed to plenty of sunshine out in her garden .
@mkuti-childress3625
Жыл бұрын
@@johncarroll772 Women’s clothing of the time would have made it very difficult to actually absorb vitamin D, however. Women were also encouraged to keep their skin, even the skin that could possibly get sun, as protected as possible. I actually think that most women of the time would have had difficulty getting enough vitamin D. A deficiency would almost certainly make any other mood symptoms more pronounced and would also make one more susceptible to any illness.
@RiaLake
Жыл бұрын
@@mkuti-childress3625 In Emily's case she would have drunk milk, ate cheese and meat so I doubt she was Vit D deficient. :)
@marknewton6984
Жыл бұрын
Sorry but she needed a good lay.
@ohmeowzer1
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much .I found it fascinating
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
My pleasure.
@lauraswann5543
Жыл бұрын
We had to learn this lady's poems for Leaving Certificate English exams in Ireland. Every one of us hated her poems because they were so depressing.
@LilyGazou
Жыл бұрын
😆
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I have heard her called the poet for "moody teenagers" - you were obviously not moody enough to appreciate her!
@hedylamarr1688
Жыл бұрын
that is ironic, given the stereotypes of the Irish pathos! Lol.
@mariancoffey8271
Жыл бұрын
Not so! I loved them and still do .
@wandarask8444
Жыл бұрын
Your voice is absolutely beautiful. Thankyou
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@silvertbird1
Жыл бұрын
I found the expression "I do not cross my father's ground to any house or town" very curious; perhaps it's merely poetic, but still an unusual expression. This was a very intelligent analysis, but in the end I wonder if she may not be simply one who prefers to live quietly at home, content in solitude.
@professorgraemeyorston
Жыл бұрын
I agree, I felt I understood her less after spending weeks reading about her!
@bobtaylor170
Жыл бұрын
Otherwise known as "an introvert." Bingo. There is so much garbage in these comments. The few good ones are greatly outnumbered by all the Woke imbeciles. I think you got it right.
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