Emily Dickinson.docx

Emily Dickinson.docx

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EmilyDickinson

EmilyDickinson

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FromthedaguerreotypetakenatMountHolyoke,December1846orearly1847.TheonlyauthenticatedportraitofEmilyDickinsonlaterthanchildhood,theoriginalisheldbytheArchivesandSpecialCollectionsatAmherstCollege.[1]

EmilyElizabethDickinson（December10,1830–May15,1886）wasanAmericanpoet.BorninAmherst,Massachusetts,toasuccessfulfamilywithstrongcommunityties,shelivedamostlyintrovertedandreclusivelife.AftershestudiedattheAmherstAcademyforsevenyearsinheryouth,shespentashorttimeatMountHolyokeFemaleSeminarybeforereturningtoherfamily'shouseinAmherst.Thoughtofasaneccentricbythelocals,shebecameknownforherpenchantforwhiteclothingandherreluctancetogreetguestsor,laterinlife,evenleaveherroom.Mostofherfriendshipswerethereforecarriedoutbycorrespondence.

AlthoughDickinsonwasaprolificprivatepoet,fewerthanadozenofhernearlyeighteenhundredpoemswerepublishedduringherlifetime.[2]Theworkthatwaspublishedduringherlifetimewasusuallyalteredsignificantlybythepublisherstofittheconventionalpoeticrulesofthetime.Dickinson'spoemsareuniquefortheerainwhichshewrote;theycontainshortlines,typicallylacktitles,andoftenuseslantrhymeaswellasunconventionalcapitalizationandpunctuation.[3]Manyofherpoemsdealwiththemesofdeathandimmortality,tworecurringtopicsinletterstoherfriends.

AlthoughmostofheracquaintanceswereprobablyawareofDickinson'swriting,itwasnotuntilafterherdeathin1886—whenLavinia,Emily'syoungersister,discoveredhercacheofpoems—thatthebreadthofDickinson'sworkbecameapparent.Herfirstcollectionofpoetrywaspublishedin1890bypersonalacquaintancesThomasWentworthHigginsonandMabelLoomisTodd,bothofwhomheavilyeditedthecontent.Acompleteandmostlyunalteredcollectionofherpoetrybecameavailableforthefirsttimein1955whenThePoemsofEmilyDickinsonwaspublishedbyscholarThomasH.Johnson.Despiteunfavorablereviewsandskepticismofherliteraryprowessduringthelate19thandearly20thcentury,criticsnowconsiderDickinsontobeamajorAmericanpoet.[4]

Contents

[hide]

∙1Life

o1.1Familyandearlychildhood

o1.2Teenageyears

o1.3Earlyinfluencesandwriting

o1.4Adulthoodandseclusion

o1.5Is"myVerse...alive?

"

o1.6Thewomaninwhite

o1.7Posiesandpoesies

o1.8Laterlife

o1.9Declineanddeath

∙2Publication

o2.1Contemporary

o2.2Posthumous

∙3Poetry

o3.1Structureandsyntax

o3.2Majorthemes

o3.3Reception

o3.4Legacy

∙4References

o4.1Notes

o4.2Editionsofpoetry

o4.3Secondarysources

∙5Externallinks

Life

Familyandearlychildhood

AdrawingoftheyoungEmilyDickinson,agenine.ItwasmadefromaportraitfeaturingEmily,AustinandLaviniaaschildren.

EmilyElizabethDickinsonwasbornatthefamily'shomesteadinAmherst,Massachusetts,onDecember10,1830,intoaprominent,butnotopulent,family.[5]Twohundredyearsearlier,theDickinsonshadarrivedintheNewWorld—inthePuritanGreatMigration—wheretheyprospered.[6]EmilyDickinson'spaternalgrandfather,SamuelDickinson,hadalmostsingle-handedlyfoundedAmherstCollege.[7]In1813hebuiltthehomestead,alargemansiononthetown'sMainStreet,thatbecamethefocusofDickinsonfamilylifeforthebetterpartofacentury.[8]SamuelDickinson'seldestson,Edward,wastreasurerofAmherstCollegefornearlyfortyyears,servednumeroustermsasaStateLegislator,andrepresentedtheHampshiredistrictintheUnitedStatesCongress.OnMay6,1828,hemarriedEmilyNorcrossfromMonson.Theyhadthreechildren:

∙WilliamAustin（1829–1895）,knownasAustin,AustorAwe;

∙EmilyElizabeth;and

∙LaviniaNorcross（1833–1899）,knownasLaviniaorVinnie.[9]

Byallaccounts,youngEmilywasawell-behavedgirl.OnanextendedvisittoMonsonwhenshewastwo,Emily'sAuntLaviniadescribedEmilyas"perfectlywell&contented—Sheisaverygoodchild&butlittletrouble."[10]Emily'sauntalsonotedthegirl'saffinityformusicandherparticulartalentforthepiano,whichshecalled"themoosic".[11]

Dickinsonattendedprimaryschoolinatwo-storybuildingonPleasantStreet.[12]Hereducationwas"ambitiouslyclassicalforaVictoriangirl".[13]Herfatherwantedhischildrenwell-educatedandhefollowedtheirprogressevenwhileawayonbusiness.WhenEmilywasseven,hewrotehome,remindinghischildrento"keepschool,andlearn,soastotellme,whenIcomehome,howmanynewthingsyouhavelearned".[14]WhileEmilyconsistentlydescribedherfatherinawarmmanner,hercorrespondencesuggeststhathermotherwasregularlycoldandaloof.Inalettertoaconfidante,Emilywroteshe"alwaysranHometoAwe[Austin]whenachild,ifanythingbefellme.HewasanawfulMother,butIlikedhimbetterthannone."[15]

OnSeptember7,1840,DickinsonandhersisterLaviniastartedtogetheratAmherstAcademy,aformerboys'schoolthathadopenedtofemalestudentsjusttwoyearsearlier.[12]Ataboutthesametime,herfatherpurchasedahouseonNorthPleasantStreet.[16]Emily'sbrotherAustinlaterdescribedthislargenewhomeasthe"mansion"overwhichheandEmilypresidedas"lordandlady"whiletheirparentswereabsent.[17]ThehouseoverlookedAmherst'sburialground,describedbyonelocalministerastreelessand"forbidding".[16]

Teenageyears

TheyshutmeupinProse–

AswhenalittleGirl

TheyputmeintheCloset–

Becausetheylikedme"still"–

Still!

Couldthemselfhavepeeped–

AndseenmyBrain–goround–

TheymightaswisehavelodgedaBird

ForTreason–inthePound–

EmilyDickinson,c.1862[18]

DickinsonspentsevenyearsattheAcademy,takingclassesinEnglishandclassicalliterature,Latin,botany,geology,history,"mentalphilosophy,"andarithmetic.[19]Shehadafewtermsoffduetoillness:

thelongestabsencewasin1845–1846,whenshewasonlyenrolledforelevenweeks.[20]

Dickinsonwastroubledfromayoungagebythe"deepeningmenace"ofdeath,especiallythedeathsofthosewhowereclosetoher.WhenSophiaHolland,hersecondcousinandaclosefriend,grewillfromtyphusanddiedinApril,1844,Emilywastraumatized.[21]Recallingtheincidenttwoyearslater,Emilywrotethat"itseemedtomeIshoulddietooifIcouldnotbepermittedtowatchoverherorevenlookatherface."[22]ShebecamesomelancholicthatherparentssenthertostaywithfamilyinBostontorecover.[23]Withherhealthandspiritsrestored,shesoonreturnedtoAmherstAcademytocontinueherstudies.[24]Duringthisperiod,shefirstmetpeoplewhoweretobecomelifelongfriendsandcorrespondents,suchasAbiahRoot,AbbyWood,JaneHumphrey,andSusanHuntingtonGilbert（wholatermarriedEmily'sbrotherAustin）.

In1845,areligiousrevivaltookplaceinAmherst,resultingin46confessionsoffaithamongDickinson'speers.[25]Dickinsonwrotetoafriendthefollowingyear:

"IneverenjoyedsuchperfectpeaceandhappinessastheshorttimeinwhichIfeltIhadfoundmysavior."[26]Shewentontosaythatitwasher"greatestpleasuretocommunealonewiththegreatGod&tofeelthathewouldlistentomyprayers".[26]Theexperiencedidnotlast:

Dickinsonnevermadeaformaldeclarationoffaithandattendedservicesregularlyforonlyafewyears.[27]Afterherchurch-goingended,about1852,shewroteapoemopening:

"SomekeeptheSabbathgoingtoChurch–/Ikeepit,stayingatHome".[28]

DuringthelastyearofherstayattheAcademy,EmilybecamefriendlywithLeonardHumphrey,itspopularnewyoungprincipal.AfterfinishingherfinaltermattheAcademyonAugust10,1847,DickinsonbeganattendingMaryLyon'sMountHolyokeFemaleSeminary（whichlaterbecameMountHolyokeCollege）inSouthHadley,abouttenmiles（16 km）fromAmherst.[29]Shewasattheseminaryforonlytenmonths.AlthoughshelikedthegirlsatHolyoke,Dickinsonmadenolastingfriendshipsthere.[30]TheexplanationsforherbriefstayatHolyokedifferconsiderably:

eithershewasinpoorhealth,herfatherwantedtohaveherathome,sherebelledagainsttheevangelicalfervorpresentattheschool,shedislikedthediscipline-mindedteachers,orshewassimplyhomesick.[31]WhateverthespecificreasonforleavingHolyoke,herbrotherAustinappearedonMarch25,1848,to"bring[her]homeatallevents".[32]BackinAmherst,Dickinsonoccupiedhertimewithhouseholdactivities.[33]Shetookupbakingforthefamilyandenjoyedattendinglocaleventsandactivitiesinthebuddingcollegetown.[34]

Earlyinfluencesandwriting

Whenshewaseighteen,Dickinson'sfamilybefriendedayoungattorneybythenameofBenjaminFranklinNewton.AccordingtoaletterwrittenbyDickinsonafterNewton'sdeath,hehadbeen"withmyFathertwoyears,beforegoingtoWorcester–inpursuinghisstudies,andwasmuchinourfamily."[35]Althoughtheirrelationshipwasprobablynotromantic,Newtonwasaformativeinfluenceandwouldbecomethesecondinaseriesofoldermen（afterHumphrey）thatDickinsonreferredto,variously,ashertutor,preceptorormaster.[36]

NewtonlikelyintroducedhertothewritingsofWilliamWordsworth,andhisgifttoherofRalphWaldoEmerson'sfirstbookofcollectedpoemshadaliberatingeffect.Shewrotelaterthathe,"whosenamemyFather'sLawStudenttaughtme,hastouchedthesecretSpring".[37]Newtonheldherinhighregard,believinginandrecognizingherasapoet.Whenhewasdyingoftuberculosis,hewrotetoher,sayingthathewouldliketoliveuntilsheachievedthegreatnessheforesaw.[37]Bio