Dickinson: Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series) by Emily Dickinson

by Emily Dickinson

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

About the author

Emily Dickinson was an American poet who, despite the fact that less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime, is widely considered one of the most original and influential poets of the 19th century.

Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.

Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.

Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.

A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.

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Reviews

[nehir]

"Unto my Books — so good to turn —
Far ends of tired Days —"

[Sylvia Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

some of her lines are superb but overall it just confirms to me that I prefer more modern poetry, though I do admire her rhyming and use of metre, it is very clever in places, but when she lets it slip slightly more I find myself resonating with the poem. For me too much rhyme and metre actually gets in the way of the words. I m very glad to have reminded myself of her writing however and shall continue to ponder on one or two of her lines

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most amazing poetry I have ever read but who am I to judge. Still loved some of it!


Some of my favourite lines:

“She dealt her pretty words like Blades-“

“For none see God and live”

“So I write- Poets- All-
Their Summer- lasts a Solid Year-“

“So we must meet apart-
You there- I- here-
With just the Door ajar”

“We talked as Girls do-
Fond, and late-
We speculated fair, on every subject, but the Grave-
Of ours, none affair-“

“Bring me the sunset in a cup,”

“Nor had I time to Love-
But since some Industry must be-
The little Toil of Love-
I thought
Be large enough for Me-“

“I chose this single star
From out the wide night’s numbers-
Sue- forevermore!”

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

“That it will never come again
Is what makes life so sweet.”


My favourite poem of hers:

“Death is a Dialogue between
The Spirit and the Dust.
‘Dissolve’ says Death-
The Spirit ‘Sir I have another Trust’-
Death doubts it- Argues from the Ground-
The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.”
- Emily Dickinson