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The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson
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- GenresPoetry
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About the author
Emily Dickinson
1,553 books6,831 followersEmily 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.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...
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.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 25, 2024
It’s insane to think none of her poetry was published in her lifetime, considering she’s one of the first people that come to mind when thinking of classic American poets. Dickinson had such a way of saying so much with just a few lines, as her wit was quite sharp! I have so many pages dog eared in this copy that I will surely go back to during the winter months. Reading her poems surely transports you back to early America where you can almost taste the freedom she so craved as a woman and Emily had quite the rebellious streak so I’ve read. Not everything in this was a winner, however the ones that caught your eye also captured your soul.
November 14, 2024
Unto my books so good to turn
Far ends of tired days
It half endears the abstinence
And pain is missed in praise…
It may be wilderness without
Far fleet of failing men
But holiday excludes the night
And it is bells within
I thank these kinsmen of the shelf
Their countenances bland
Énamour in prospective
And satisfy, obtained
Far ends of tired days
It half endears the abstinence
And pain is missed in praise…
It may be wilderness without
Far fleet of failing men
But holiday excludes the night
And it is bells within
I thank these kinsmen of the shelf
Their countenances bland
Énamour in prospective
And satisfy, obtained
August 19, 2025
Dickinson is at her best when writing about time, life, and death
February 2, 2025
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us-don't tell! They'd banish us, you know. How dreary to be somebody!”💘
Then there's a pair of us-don't tell! They'd banish us, you know. How dreary to be somebody!”💘
March 5, 2025
love her poetry ofc but hated how this book was put together - didn’t like the just shlopping of poems together under a “category” like “life”
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May 20, 2025Her meter and word choice are both compelling and instructive, but I only found myself deeply moved by a few of these, unfortunately. Masterful, certainly, but not a favorite of mine.
May 3, 2025
Quite a nice selection of poems! I had to read some of these for my 19th century American literature course and have enjoyed most of them. As someone who hasn't read much poetry before, I felt like Dickinson was a great person to study to really understand it in its speculative nature. Often, I felt as if I could relate to the feelings she outlines within her poems, particularly those about love, pain and grief. Yet by far, her poems concerning will are some of my favorites.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews