2.4: Emily Dickinson and the Personal Lyric
During her lifetime, Emily Dickinson wrote poems that were bundled together as a cluster of pages called a fascicle. These bundles of pages found after her death by her sister Lavinia, who had been willed all of Emily Dickinson's earthly possessions. In total, there were 40 different fascicles, or booklets, of more than 800 poems. These poems were then published and edited, and the published versions were often changed from Dickinson's originals. Explore this website to see the poems contained in two original fascicles, #6 and #16. Compare the original manuscripts with various edited publications of Dickinson's poems, and read about the analysis of these poems.
Women's literature was suppressed by the patriarchal system of the nineteenth century, and society demanded reticence in writing by women, and the elimination of anger, sexual feelings, and ambition in their work. Many scholars of Dickinson talk about the ways she complied with this demand by using strategic reticence. Read this article carefully to understand the ways in which Dickinson created a unique poetic form to challenge the conventions of her time.
Building on what you've now read about Dickinson, read this poem and the following works in this subunit.
Read this poem alongside the other works in this subunit.
Read this poem alongside the other works in this subunit.
Read this poem alongside the other works in this subunit.
Listen to this critical commentary on the work of Emily Dickinson. Take notes on the lecture and those to what you have already learned about Dickinson and her large body of poetry. Think especially about her unique literary style, composed of dashes and lowercase letters.