Emily Dickinson
Poems That Shaped America
Introduction
For over two centuries, numerous collections of American literature have shaped influence and conversation within society. The Library of Congress created a showcase of “Books That Shaped America” which ignited popular discussion and an everlasting impact on today’s society.(Library of Congress) A name that meets the list with intelligence beyond her time is Emily Dickinson. Roughly 1,800 of her poems written were published after her passing. Most of Dickinson’s poems were edited to uphold poetic customs during the 1800’s. It wasn’t until 1955 when Dickinson’s poems were released unedited to the public. Despite her use of peculiar poetic structure and rhyming schemes, Dickinson’s literature legacy has influenced poets across America for over 200 years.
About the Author
Born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Dickinson’s family tree is heavily ingrained into New England’s history, including her grandfather, Samuel Dickinson — the notable founder of Amherst College in the small valley town of New England. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was employed as a state legislator for the city of Amherst. Emily Norcross and Edward Dickinson eloped in 1828 and the pair had three children: William, Emily, and Lavinia (Stuart).
A star pupil during her seven years educated at Amherst College, Dickinson transferred to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, attending the school for a year and departing for unknown reasons. Various theories portray Dickinson’s departure was due to her delicate state of mind prompting her father to remove her from the academy (Biography.com). Dickinson was a woman detached from all religious groups but she protested religious norms during her time.
After dropping out of school as a teenager, Emily Dickinson resided in a life of solitude at the family farmhouse. During her years of isolation, Dickinson discreetly wrote thousands of poems and hundreds of letters. Her sister, Lavinia discovered the remarkable amount of poetic literature written by her sister. Dickinson’s work was published on May 15, 1886 and she is considered an icon in American literature today. (Stuart)
About the Book
Emily Dickinson and her 1,800 poems were published unaltered over a century after her passing. Dickinson painted vivid images through each of her poems by using subjects that lured her interest. Naturally a sharp observer, Dickinson used this characteristic to create the poetic masterpieces widely recognized in American literature today. Using images from nature, religion, law, music, and fashion to probe universal themes: the identity of self, death, the wonders of nature and love (Emily Dickinson Museum).
Dickinson habitually defied general rules of literature with unusual structure and syntax. Using dashes in excess and capitalizing words in strange places and ways that were unfamiliar in the world of literature at the time (Emily Dickinson Museum).
Poems, a collection of Dickinson’s writings, generates an individual story with each page turned. It creates thousands of different scenarios and emotions surrounding major themes involved in her daily life, such as writing about religion and referencing God and Heaven numerous times throughout her literature as is seen in “God permits industrious Angels” and “I went to Heaven”. Death was a topic she wrote about frequently, expressing the eternity of life and her religious side once more. Her family impacted her writing beyond their comprehension, expressing the loneliness of living in isolation. Nature played a major role of inspiration in Dickinson’s poetry, conveying the idea that nature is beautiful yet dangerous. Nature accompanies death, which Dickinson believed was overwhelming . In her poem “Nature, the Gentlest Mother, Is” Dickinson describes nature with a motherly persona. “Impatient of no Child — ,” testifies the idea that nature is serene and patient with all of her children (Grimes). Dickinson paints Mother Nature as one who cares for all beings, despite their flaws (Grimes). With thousands of poems composed in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson draws on multiple major themes in her writing; ideas and feelings one can relate to in present-day, despite it being two centuries later.
The Legacy
When Dickinson’s sister, Lavinia, discovered her collection of poetry after her late sister’s death, she reached out to family friend, Mabel Loomis Todd, to help transcribe selected poems alongside Thomas Wentworth Higginson, who aided with the editing process of Dickinson’s collection. Controversy surrounding the publication of the deceased poet caught the attention of American novelist and critic, William Dean Howells. Poems, according to Howells, saw Dickinson’s verse as a signal expression of a distinctively American sensibility (Habegger).
Before turning the collection to Mabel Loomis Todd, Lavinia reached out to another family friend, Susan, first, asking Susan to help publish the collection to the public. After two years of radio silence, Lavinia handed over the precious collection to Todd (Habegger). Family conflict involving an affair between Susan’s husband, Austin and Mabel Loomis Todd enraged Susan after the editorial help from Todd caught the attention of writers and readers around the country. Susan was infuriated at what she recognized as betrayal from Lavinia and Todd’s insolent behavior and their destructive effect on the presentation of Dickinson’s work. This sparked animosity between the families (Habegger). The bitter relationship between the two families affected educational interpretation well into the 21st century.
Dickinson’s work drew minimal interest from the first generation of “High Modernists” (Habegger). Leading writers, Hart Crane and Allen Tate, were the first to recognize her greatness, encouraging other prolific writers to indulge in the same idea. Since the beginning, Dickinson has powerfully attracted many ordinary or uneducated readers (Habegger). In an excerpt from her poem “Im Nobody”, Dickinson establishes an instant appeal, her distinctive voice is personal yet direct. “I’m Nobody! Who are you? / Are you — Nobody — too?” (Dickinson).
Reflecting the hauntingly private life of Dickinson, she triggered a notable response from readers, who, in some cases, were able to relate. Dickinson’s significant hardships and intense emotions also aided her diverse spectrum of feelings and flexible expressiveness. This is what declares her a poetic genius (Habegger).
Despite controversy and difficulty publishing unaltered work created by Dickinson, her legacy remains intact in American literature. Her poems have been translated worldwide for others to enjoy, including Japanese, French, German and a plethora of others (Habegger). Dickinson’s poems remain in academic practices. Her story is documented in a British biography film, A Quiet Passion, which sheds light on Dickinson’s private life (IMDb). Her overwhelming ability to relate on all levels to any reader is why she stands out amongst the rest.
Perhaps the main reason why Emily Dickinson’s Poems made the list of “Books That Shaped America” is expressed by an excerpt from Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope”. She writes, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul — and sings the tunes without the words — and never stops at all”(Dickinson). These lines touch on the idea of never losing sight of ‘hope’, an energy incapable of disappearing that lives within us forever. Emily Dickinson’s contribution to American literature is one that came after her death, but her name prevails as one of the most iconic in American poetry, meaning Emily Dickinson received her poetic justice after all.
Works Cited
“A Quiet Passion.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 7 Oct. 2016, www.imdb.com/title/tt2392830/.
Biography.com. “Emily Dickinson.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 13 Oct. 2020, www.biography.com/writer/emily-dickinson.
“‘Books That Shaped America’ Exhibition to Open June 25.” The Library of Congress, 2012, www.loc.gov/item/prn-12-123/.
Dickinson, — Attributed To Emily. “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers That Perches in the Soul — and Sings the Tunes without the Words — and Never Stops at All.: Emily Dickinson at PoteQuotes.” PoteQuotes, potequotes.com/emily-dickinson_hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-that-perches-in-the-soul-1917/.
Dickinson, Emily. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Boston: Little, Brown, 1924; Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/113/.
Grimes, Linda Sue. “Emily Dickinson’s ‘Nature — the Gentlest Mother Is’ — Owlcation — Education.” Owlcation, 29 June 2016, owlcation.com/humanities/Emily-Dickinsons-Naturethe-Gentlest-Mother-is.
Habegger, Alfred. “Legacy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson/Legacy.
Julie Dobrow. November 8. “How Much Editing Was Done to Emily Dickinson’s Poems After She Died?” Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2019, lithub.com/how-much-editing-was-done-to-emily-dickinsons-poems-after-she-died/.
“Lavinia Norcross Dickinson (1833–1899), Sister.” Emily Dickinson Museum, www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/lavinia-norcross-dickinson-1833-1899-sister/.
“Major Characteristics of Dickinson’s Poetry.” Emily Dickinson Museum, www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/emily-dickinson/poetry/tips-for-reading/major-characteristics-of-dickinsons-poetry/.
Stuart, Maria. Dickinson, Emily, 1830–1886. ProQuest, Ann Arbor, 2000. ProQuest, http://db07.linccweb.org/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.db07.linccweb.org/docview/2137937216?accountid=10674.
