EMMA EMBURY

This fictionalized biography of 19th-century poet, essayist, and protofeminist Emma Embury (1806-1863) highlights her skill and intellect via numerous quotations from her work.

New York City–based writer Embury was the author of many stories and poems, often published in magazines under the pseudonym “Ianthe,” that gained some popularity during her lifetime. As Russell explains in his author’s note, this story of Embury’s life “weaves the facts of her life with imagined accounts of events and conversations,” which allows readers to follow the writer through a precocious and privileged childhood, and through marriage, tragedy, and travel, with a sense of immediacy. It also unambiguously notes Embury’s feminism, showing how she was an early and vocal proponent of women’s education. The work’s fictional elements give a sense of movement to some scenes, which quickens the pace of the work as a whole. That said, much of the dialogue seems stilted and antiquated; the events feel simplified and overly episodic; and too much time is dedicated to describing the fashions of the age—to the degree that, perhaps inadvertently, Embury herself becomes objectified. (Also, inexplicably, a portrait of Embury’s husband, Daniel, is in the book’s frontmatter, but no portrait of the subject herself.) Nonetheless, readers do get valuable insight into Embury’s life as a poet, as a sharp intellect, and as the head of a household; the book also effectively delves into the culture and restrictions of pre–Civil War urban America. The book’s greatest virtue is how it provides generous context to Embury’s poems and essays, many of which are provided in part or in full; indeed, these original sources are more engaging than the biographical elements, more often than not. Despite these shortcomings, Russell deserves credit for seeing the talent in this poet’s work and bringing her words back into the public eye.

Embury’s own works shine brightest in this unevenly executed story of her life.