Emily Dickson

Emily Dickinson was a prominent American poet born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830. Dickinson is known for her unique and unconventional style of writing poetry that often challenged the traditional forms of poetry during her time. She is recognized as one of the most significant and influential poets in American literature.  

Emily Dickinson was born into a wealthy and prominent family in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was a prominent lawyer and politician, while her mother, Emily Norcross Dickinson, was a homemaker. Dickinson received her early education at Amherst Academy, where she excelled in her studies and demonstrated a strong interest in literature. As a young woman, Dickinson was deeply influenced by the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalist movement. She began writing poetry at a young age and continued to write throughout her life. Despite her love for writing, Dickinson was a private person and rarely shared her work with others.  

Dickinson's writing career spanned over three decades, and she produced over 1,800 poems during her lifetime. However, only a handful of her poems were published during her lifetime, and it wasn't until after her death that her work gained widespread recognition. Dickinson's poetry is characterized by its unconventional style, including her use of slant rhyme and irregular meter. Her poems often explore themes such as nature, death, love, and spirituality. Dickinson's work is also known for its use of vivid imagery and metaphorical language.  

Emily Dickinson's poetry has had a significant impact on American literature and culture. Her unconventional style of writing and her exploration of themes such as death and spirituality has influenced generations of writers and poets. Today, Dickinson is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential poets in American literature. Her work continues to be studied and celebrated, and her legacy as an iconic American poet remains strong.  

One of Emily Dickinson's most famous poems is "Because I could not stop for Death." This poem explores the theme of death and the speaker's journey toward it. Here is the poem in its entirety: 

Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me— The Carriage held but just Ourselves—  And Immortality. 

We slowly drove—He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility— 

We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess—in the Ring— We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain— We passed the Setting Sun— 

Or rather—He passed us— The Dews drew quivering and chill— For only Gossamer, my Gown— My Tippet—only Tulle— 

We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground— The Roof was scarcely visible— The Cornice—in the Ground— 

Since then—’tis Centuries—and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses’ Heads Were toward Eternity— 

References: 

Franklin, R. W. (Ed.). (1999). The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Variorum Edition. Belknap Press. 

Sewall, R. B. (1974). The Life of Emily Dickinson. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

Smith, M. (Ed.). (1998). The Emily Dickinson Handbook. University of Massachusetts Press. 

Miller, C. R. (1997). Emily Dickinson: A Poet's Grammar. Harvard University Press. 

Vendler, H. (2010). Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries. Harvard University Press. 

 Emily Dickinson was a prominent American poet born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830. Dickinson is known for her unique and unconventional style of writing poetry that often challenged the traditional forms of poetry during her time. She is recognized as one of the most significant and influential poets in American literature.  

Emily Dickinson was born into a wealthy and prominent family in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was a prominent lawyer and politician, while her mother, Emily Norcross Dickinson, was a homemaker. Dickinson received her early education at Amherst Academy, where she excelled in her studies and demonstrated a strong interest in literature. As a young woman, Dickinson was deeply influenced by the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalist movement. She began writing poetry at a young age and continued to write throughout her life. Despite her love for writing, Dickinson was a private person and rarely shared her work with others.  

Dickinson's writing career spanned over three decades, and she produced over 1,800 poems during her lifetime. However, only a handful of her poems were published during her lifetime, and it wasn't until after her death that her work gained widespread recognition. Dickinson's poetry is characterized by its unconventional style, including her use of slant rhyme and irregular meter. Her poems often explore themes such as nature, death, love, and spirituality. Dickinson's work is also known for its use of vivid imagery and metaphorical language.  

Emily Dickinson's poetry has had a significant impact on American literature and culture. Her unconventional style of writing and her exploration of themes such as death and spirituality has influenced generations of writers and poets. Today, Dickinson is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential poets in American literature. Her work continues to be studied and celebrated, and her legacy as an iconic American poet remains strong.  

One of Emily Dickinson's most famous poems is "Because I could not stop for Death." This poem explores the theme of death and the speaker's journey toward it. Here is the poem in its entirety: 

Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me— The Carriage held but just Ourselves—  And Immortality. 

We slowly drove—He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility— 

We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess—in the Ring— We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain— We passed the Setting Sun— 

Or rather—He passed us— The Dews drew quivering and chill— For only Gossamer, my Gown— My Tippet—only Tulle— 

We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground— The Roof was scarcely visible— The Cornice—in the Ground— 

Since then—’tis Centuries—and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses’ Heads Were toward Eternity— 

References: 

Franklin, R. W. (Ed.). (1999). The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Variorum Edition. Belknap Press. 

Sewall, R. B. (1974). The Life of Emily Dickinson. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

Smith, M. (Ed.). (1998). The Emily Dickinson Handbook. University of Massachusetts Press. 

Miller, C. R. (1997). Emily Dickinson: A Poet's Grammar. Harvard University Press. 

Vendler, H. (2010). Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries. Harvard University Press.