Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which people have been suggested as possible recipients of Emily Dickinsonās Master letters?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Emily Dickinson
Poet Emily Dickinson is one of American poetry's most singular and influential voices.
Between 1858 and 1861, Emily Dickinson drafted three intense, pleading letters to an unidentified person she addressed as "Master." Because the final versions of these letters may never have been sent, the identity of the recipient remains a subject of significant scholarly speculation.12
Several individuals have been suggested as the possible recipient:
- Charles Wadsworth: A Presbyterian minister who remains one of the most likely candidates.12
- George Henry Gould: A former college classmate of Dickinsonās brother and the recipient of an earlier prose valentine; he is also considered a primary candidate.12
- Samuel Bowles: The publisher and editor of the Springfield Republican. While once a prominent theory, many scholars now doubt this identification because the earliest "Master" draft is believed to predate Dickinsonās friendship with him.12
- Susan Gilbert Dickinson: Her sister-in-law.12
- Kate Scott Anthon: A friend of the poet.12
All theories regarding the identity of "Master" are based on partial examinations of surviving documents and collateral evidence.2