Emily Dickinson Biography
Bibliography
Emily Dickinson is a well-known American poet. According to Poets.org, she was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. As a young child, Emily proved to be a bright student. It is mentioned in poets.org that she was educated at Amherst Academy from 1840 to 1847 and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary from 1847 to 1848. In her opinion, her real education took place in the family library. There she indulged herself with Shakespeare, Sir Thomas Browne, John Keats, Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Ruskin, and the Bible. It is mentioned in poetryfoundation.org that throughout her life, she rarely left the household of her parents, Emily and Edward Dickinson, and few visited her, and by 1860s, Emily lived in almost physical isolation from the outside world. Between 1858 and 1862, she wrote like a person possessed. It was during this time that her life was transformed into the myth of Amherst. Withdrawing more and more, keeping to her room, and began wearing only white clothing. She made few attempts to publish her work. Her poetry reflects her loneliness and is marked by the intimate recollection of inspirational moments which suggests the possibility of happiness. Although she secluded herself and had frail health, her poems show that she experienced moments of joy. However, for every ecstatic joy there seemed to be a contrasting doubt. Emily died some time later on May 15, 1886 with only two published poems in her lifetime. Her sister, Lavinia was instructed to burn all of Emily’s writings before she died. She came across a box filled with about 1,800 poems. She ignored her sister’s instruction and had it published. Her poems received high praises from all the leading magazine and papers. The New York Times claimed, “Dickinson would soon be known amongst the immortals of English speaking poets.”
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Historical Context
According to emilydickinsonmuseum.org, she began writing poems in her teens. The years 18581865 were an intense
Emily Dickinson is a well-known American poet. According to Poets.org, she was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. As a young child, Emily proved to be a bright student. It is mentioned in poets.org that she was educated at Amherst Academy from 1840 to 1847 and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary from 1847 to 1848. In her opinion, her real education took place in the family library. There she indulged herself with Shakespeare, Sir Thomas Browne, John Keats, Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Ruskin, and the Bible. It is mentioned in poetryfoundation.org that throughout her life, she rarely left the household of her parents, Emily and Edward Dickinson, and few visited her, and by 1860s, Emily lived in almost physical isolation from the outside world. Between 1858 and 1862, she wrote like a person possessed. It was during this time that her life was transformed into the myth of Amherst. Withdrawing more and more, keeping to her room, and began wearing only white clothing. She made few attempts to publish her work. Her poetry reflects her loneliness and is marked by the intimate recollection of inspirational moments which suggests the possibility of happiness. Although she secluded herself and had frail health, her poems show that she experienced moments of joy. However, for every ecstatic joy there seemed to be a contrasting doubt. Emily died some time later on May 15, 1886 with only two published poems in her lifetime. Her sister, Lavinia was instructed to burn all of Emily’s writings before she died. She came across a box filled with about 1,800 poems. She ignored her sister’s instruction and had it published. Her poems received high praises from all the leading magazine and papers. The New York Times claimed, “Dickinson would soon be known amongst the immortals of English speaking poets.”
~I~
Historical Context
According to emilydickinsonmuseum.org, she began writing poems in her teens. The years 18581865 were an intense