Emily Dickson

Background

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry.[2] Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. After studying at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she briefly attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's home in Amherst. Evidence suggests that Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most of her friendships were based entirely upon correspondence.

Early life as a poet

She began writing in the 1850s; by 1860 she was boldly experimenting with language and prosody, striving for vivid, exact words and epigrammatic concision while adhering to the basic quatrains and metres of the Protestant hymn. The subjects of her deceptively simple lyrics, whose depth and intensity contrast with the apparent quiet of her life, include love, death, and nature. Her numerous letters are sometimes equal in artistry to her poems. By 1870 she was dressing only in white and declining to see most visitors. Of her nearly 1,800 poems, only 10 are known to have been published during her lifetime. After posthumous publications (some rather inaccurate), her reputation and readership grew. Her complete works were published in 1955, and she has since become universally regarded as one of the greatest American poets.

About her work

Emily Dickinson's poems were unique for her era; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends, and also explore aesthetics, society, nature, and spirituality1. Transcendental themes, like death, immortality, faith, and doubt undergird her work, and her virtuosic touch with rhetorical figures reflects her deep knowledge of the Bible.

Death

Dickinson died of heart failure in Amherst, Massachusetts, on May 15, 1886, at the age of 55. She was laid to rest in her family plot at West Cemetery. The Homestead, where Dickinson was born, is now a museum.

Facts

She is considered one of the two leading 19th-century American poets, along with Walt Whitman. Only 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems were published in her lifetime. She lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, and explored themes of death, faith, emotions, and truth in her writing. Dickinson was a prolific gardener and struggled with vision problems. She lived in isolation, wore white clothing, and rarely left her bedroom. She never married and most of her friendships were based on correspondence

Credits

Wikimedia Foundation. (2024a, August 22). Emily Dickinson. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Dickinson#cite_note-3

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024a, July 30). Emily Dickinson. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson

Emily Dickinson - poems, Quotes & Death. (n.d.). https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/emily-dickinson

These facial reconstructions of important historical figures will blow you away: Page 3 of 85. CarNovels. (2023, May 24). https://www.carnovels.com/worldwide/wax-fig/3

Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Emily Dickinson: "it was not death, for I... Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/68930/emily-dickinson-it-was-not-death-for-i-stood-up

byrachelritchey, P. (2022, May 6). My top five female empowerment poems. Rachel Ritchey's Blog. https://rachelritchey.wordpress.com/2022/05/06/my-top-five-female-empowerment-poems/