Emily Dickinson

Among the ranks of other such acclaimed poets as Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson is

considered one of the most original 19th Century American poets. She is noted for her unconventional broken

rhyming meter and use of dashes and random capitalization as well as her creative use of metaphor and overall

innovative style. She was a deeply sensitive woman who questioned the puritanical background of her Calvinist

family and soulfully explored her own spirituality, often in poignant, deeply personal poetry. She admired the

works of John Keats and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but avoided the florid and romantic style of her time,

creating poems of pure and concise imagery, at times witty and sardonic, often boldly frank and illuminating the

keen insight she had into the human condition. At times characterized as a semi-invalid, a hermit, a heartbroken

introvert, or a neurotic agoraphobic, her poetry is sometimes brooding and sometimes joyous and celebratory.

Her sophistication and profound intellect has been lauded by laymen and scholars alike and influenced many

other authors and poets into the 21st Century. There has been much speculation and controversy over details of

Dickinson’s life including her sexual orientation, romantic attachments, her later reclusive years, and the editing

and publication of various volumes of her poems. This biography serves only as an overview of her life and

poetry and leaves the in-depth analysis to the many scholars who have devoted years to the study of Emily

Dickinson, the woman and her works.

Some of her best known works include:

Hope is the Thing With Feathers, I am Nobody! Who are You? Because I Could Not Stop

For Death, I Felt a Funeral in My Brain, I Heard a Fly Buzz When I...