The Mark Twain Annual

Abstract:

This article focuses on the final six years of Susy Clemens’s life, from the time she was admitted to Bryn Mawr College at the age of eighteen to her final days in Hartford, Connecticut, where she died unexpectedly of spinal meningitis while preparing to rejoin her parents in Europe. The article examines her romantic relationship with fellow student Louis Brownell and the effects of their separation on Susy when the Clemens family moved to Europe to cut back on their living expenses. It explores her struggles to make the transition from girlhood to young adulthood, including her engagement with Mind Cure in her determination to improve herself. Throughout, the article draws on letters from Susy to Louise, to her sister Clara, and to her mother, Livy, and it features letters from Livy expressing her ongoing concerns for her daughter’s well-being.