Thursday, 20 April: Emily Dickinson: “I never lost as much but twice”; “These are the days when Birds come back—”; “Come Slowly—Eden!”; “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”; “I reason, Earth is short—”; “The Soul selects her own Society—”; “It sifts from Leaden Sieves—”; Letters to T.W. Higginson

Reader: Heidi Gerke

Course objectives to be covered:

Objective 2: To study the movement of “Romanticism,” the narrative genre of “romance,” and the related styles of the “gothic” and “the sublime”.

Emily Dickinson’s poetry has a tendency to be lyrical in a few ways. One, for example, is her slight rhyming scheme that she puts into her writing. An impressive attribute about her style is how she uses the smallest amount of words to get across her point in a big way.

Also, the way it is written is also very interesting. She tends to capitalize random words and also uses dashes with consistency instead of punctuation at times. Why do you think she uses this tactic? Is it to put more emphasis on the words and their use at that point in the poem?

For an example of her rhyming scheme, “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” was chosen. Here she uses slant or half rhymes.

Lyrical Selection:

It sifts from Leaden Sieves—

It powders all the Wood.

It fills with Alabaster Wool

The Wrinkles of the Road—

It makes an Even Face

Of Mountain, and of Plain—

Unbroken Forehead from the East

Unto the East again—

It reaches to the Fence—

It wraps it Rail by Rail

Till it is lost in Fleeces—

It deals Celestial Vail

To Stump, and Stack—and Stem—

A Summer’s empty Room—

Acres of Joints, where Harvests were,

Recordless, but for them—

It Ruffles Wrists of Posts

As Ankles of a Queen—

Then stills it’s Artisans—like Ghosts—

Denying they have been—

(p. 3054-3055)

Other than rhyme, what other ways is Dickinson lyrical?

The Romantic and the gothic of Dickinson:

“Emily Dickinson’s poetry was by definition, introspective.  She pondered things she did not understand such as belief in, or the benevolence of God, the beautiful and terrifying forces of nature, and unknowable death” (D. Davis 2004).

Just like other writers of the American Renaissance time period, Dickinson also had her hand at writing things with the Romantic appeal. In works such as “Wild Nights” and “Come slowly—Eden!” she paints a lovely picture of affection through symbolism and nature. Within “Come Slowly—Eden!” she uses the idea of a bee coming to a flower as a romantic image of perhaps a kiss between a man and a woman.

Romantic symbolism:

Come slowly—Eden!

Lips unused to Thee—

Bashful—sip thy Jessamines—

As the fainting Bee—

Reaching late his flower,

Round her chambers hums—

Counts his nectars—

Enters—and is lost in the Balms.

(p. 3049)

Dickinson also shows a bit of the gothic in her writing. This is mostly touched upon in her recurring theme of death. A good deal of her poetry is related with this theme as seen in “I reason, Earth is short—”. Using words such as ‘Anguish’ and ‘Decay’, Emily paints a pretty dark look on the subject. In all of her writing, this theme seems to creep in and color her works. Even her letter to Higginson uses such strong words that give a gothic feel like ‘haunted.’

“Nature is a Haunted house-but Art-a House that tries to be haunted.” (Letter to T.W. Higginson 1876 – Letter 459A) p. 3093

Writing is no less an ‘art’ than painting or drawing. Emily’s poetry is merely a blank sheet of paper, and words are her paint.

Gothic appeal:

I reason, Earth is short—

And Anguish—absolute—

And many hurt,

But, what of that?

I reason, we could die—

The best Vitality

Cannot excel Decay,

But, what of that?

I reason, that in Heaven—

Somehow, it will be even—

Some new Equation, given—

But, what of that?

(p. 3053)

What other Gothic and Romantic elements can be seen in her work? Are there parts in the selection not mentioned that give a better indication to these styles?