Poems (1890)
A Book That Changed the World
Introduction
Emily Dickinson was a poet ahead of her time who used her literary skills to express herself through her work. “Poems” (1890) is a collection of all 1,800 Dickison wrote during her lifetime. In this assortment of poems, Dickinson talks about mental health, death and the afterlife, fame, and life itself. Some of her most famous works include “Success in counted sweetest” , “I felt a funeral, in my Brain”, and “I taste liquor never brewed”. Because of her vulnerability she presented in her poems, she inspired a new generation of writing styles. Emily Dickinson changed the literary world with the publishing of Poems (1890) by inviting a new style of writing for poets to come after her.
About the Author
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1930 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Being a big fan of poets like John Keats and Walt Whitmne, Dickinson developed a love for writing and found her own, unique voice. She wrote a majority of her works in isolation to free herself as a writer. “Dickinson’s seclusion during her later years has been the object of much speculation. Scholars have thought that she suffered from conditions such as agoraphobia, depression and/or anxiety, or may have been sequestered due to her responsibilities as guardian of her sick mother. Dickinson was also treated for a painful ailment of her eyes. After the mid-1860s, she rarely left the confines of the Homestead. It was also around this time, from the late 1850s to mid-’60s, that Dickinson was most productive as a poet, creating small bundles of verse known as fascicles without any awareness on the part of her family members” (2018). Despite her writing a variety of different poems during her lifetime, she was never recognized for her work until after she passed away in 1886. Her first volume was published in 1890 and her works continued to be published until 1955. Her 1,800 handwritten poems were soon published in the correct order she wrote them in during her reclusive life. Despite never being published during her time, Dickinson’s work proved her creative writing was before its time. An article by biography.com states “The strength of her literary voice, as well as her reclusive and eccentric life, contributes to the sense of Dickinson as an indelible American character who continues to be discussed today” (2018).
About the Book
“Poems” (1890) is a collection of Emily Dickinson’s poetry she would write during her lifetime. There is not one common theme among all of her works, rather they are all personal accounts of her life. The themes can range from death, family religion, love, home life, and nature.
Many of her poems were controversial, as they were ahead of her time and allowed a woman to express herself freely. For example, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” is one of Emily’s most controversial poems. Here, she talks about her mental health using metaphors relating to death and the afterlife. Her poem is about a mental breakdown she is suffering from, leaving the audience to guess the ending. While this may not seem controversial, mental health was not as heavily noticed or studied during Dickinson’s time. Likewise, she was a female writing about her struggles, which again, was not considered acceptable. A few of her other works on mental health include “Because I could not stop for Death” and “My Life had stood- a Loaded Gun”.
On a happier note, Dickison’s “Success is counted sweetest” is about becoming famous. In this poem, she talks about the complexity of human life and how fame comes with the highs and lows. Interestingly enough, Dickinson never once talked about publishing her work to become famous. Given the time period, many suggest this is because she did not want to input of a man to change her work or she was trying to protect herself.
Needless to say, the presence of multiple themes in all of Dickinson’s poetry made her unique, as no other poet was open and vulnerable like she was. She introduced a slant-rhyme and unconventional punctuation type of poetry that had not been previously introduced. Without the publication of her works after she passed, it could have been years before a female poet came along with a similar style of writing as Dickison.
Legacy
Emily Dickinson introduced the world to new styles in writing and poetry. Being a woman during this time, she had almost no freedom compared to women today. She wrote poems that were different from what was being published and released at the time. She talked freely and expressed her feelings, which is something most writers, especially female writers, feared to do. Dickinson proved that just because one is shy and reclusive does not mean they can succeed greatly in life. She made people feel accepted, welcomed, and comfortable because of her style and always standing up for what she believed in. Not only did she make feel people feel included, she defied the norms that women could not learn to read or write. Instead, she fought stereotypical gender norms and became something a man feared: a stronger writer than any man of her time.
Emily Dickinson left a historical mark during her lifetime. Her collection of poems have inspired many poets after her. Not only were her works so incredible that they were published after her death, but they succeeded with great strength. So much so that Amherst College founded the Emily Dickinson Museum in 2003 to remember her as a person and who she was as a writer. The article “Emily Elizabeth Dickinson” by Cassie Herin says “Emily Dickinson was an inspiration to many people. She always stood up for what she believes in and did what she thought was right. She even learned to read and write when females weren’t supposed to. She introduced the world to a new kind of writing and poetry. Emily wrote odd poems that were different from other people’s and she expressed her feelings differently in them. It changed the way people think about things and how they feel about them. She wrote about the important things in life, like love and individuality, and it really touched people” (2009). With that being said, Dickinson left behind more than just a collection of her words and thoughts, but a newfound appreciation for different styles of writing for generations to come.
Works Cited
“Emily Dickinson.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 13 Oct. 2020, www.biography.com/writer/emily-dickinson.
Herin , Cassie. “Emily Elizabeth Dickinson.” The MY HERO Project, 23 Mar. 2009, myhero.com/Dickinson_herrin_ms_06.
