Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts in December of 1830. She was raised as a “Victorian girl” and educated as such (Farr 1). In their teenage years her sister, Lavinia, and herself pursued their education in former boy’s school, Amherst Academy (Sewall 337). Education and the pursuit of knowledge was a vital aspect to Dickinson’s life from an early age. After attending Amherst Academy and then a short stint Mary Lyon’s Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, she returned home without a clear reason. Her return home occurred in the late 1840’s and lasted for the remainder of her life. She became a recluse, and physically isolated herself. She began dedicating her time at home to maintaining written correspondences with friends and pursuing her studies, including reading a great deal of literature. Some of the literature that proved significant in her early years as a writer include, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poetry s well as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first book of collected poems. The metaphysical poets of the 17th century England proved most influential on her work and as she said “touched the secret Spring”, referring to an awakening of her inner poet (Habeggar 221). She was also influenced by religious texts, often ones leaning towards a Calvinist, conservative Christian outlook (Academy of American Poets). These influences can be observed in her texts such as the religious undertones and metaphors in 475 [488]. Her influence from Emerson has been analyzed as “ broadly refer[ing] to the general and looming concern with autonomy and individualism”, a central concern too much of Emerson’s work (Shira Wolosky 35). The conflict between self and society is seen through out Dickinson’s poems, similar to much of Emerson’s work.
Beyond the influence of published writings Dickinson relied heavily on her correspondence for inspiration both poetically and in thought. “The correspondents could speak their minds outside the formulas of parlor conversation”, this free flow of ideas and opinions stimulated Dickinson’s mind and encouraged her to explore her innermost opinions and as she did this it became exposed though her poetry. She valued her friends as a central aspect of her life and even commented, “My friends are my ‘estate’” (Poetry Foundation). The correspondences Dickinson kept allowed her to grow as a poet and forced her to question the things often so easily defined, these topics include such things as life and death. The years of Dickinson’s isolation gave way to greater personal growth; intellectually, this is time in which she explored personal questions and troubles as well as evaluating the world around her and her place in it, as represented through her poetry.
Bibliography:
Dickinson, Emily. “475 [488].” The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Volume B, Ninth Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2012.
“Emily Dickinson.” Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets, 2013. Web. 1 Sept. 2013.
“Emily Dickinson.” Poeryfoundation.org. The Poetry Foundation, 2013. Web. 31 Aug. 2013.
Farr, Judith. The Passion of Emily Dickinson. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992. Print.
Habeggar, Alfred. My Wars Are Laid in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson. Modern Library, 2002. Print.
Wolosky, Shira. “Dickinson’s Emerson: A Critique of American Identity.” 9.2
103A: American Literature from 1789 to 1900 