How to Read Emily Dickinson\’s Poetry
Reading Emily Dickinson’s poetry is not as simple as reviewing other authors’ literary work. This is because her poetry is filled with rich symbols and metaphors. Her poetry is full of linguistic surprises as she never hesitates in doing experiments.
Emily belongs to the category of those poets who discuss most troubling issues in an intelligent manner. A wrong conception about her is that she never completes a thought rather she leaves the track and leave the reader surprised.
However, the reason is only that she never attempts to cover just one angle rather her canvas is so vast that hardly few can understand Emily’s mindset.
Instructions
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1
Do not expect something conventional:
Before start reading, you must know the Emily is one of the most unconventional poets in the English literature. She challenges all the rules, breaks the limits and gives linguistic surprises to her readers. An unusual vocabulary, unique diction and dense grammar are her identity. She challenges her readers’ intellect by introducing abstract ideas in her poetry. That is why you must be prepared to read an unconventional poetry. -
2
Try to read between the lines:
Another important thing you should do while reading Emily Dickinson’s poetry is to read between the lines. She is so perfect in her craft that every piece of her poetry is perfect blend of realism and idealism. She uses lots of abstract terms that can confuse a new reader. Do not expect a poem to mean one thing as Emily’s poetry is never single layered. -
3
Understand her style:
You must know Emily’s style before read her poetry. She has an unusual syntax which can be difficult to understand for a new reader. Sometimes, Emily deliberately leaves blanks just to check the alternative ways of expressing an idea.
Similarly, her themes, images and thoughts are always complicated so you must know how to fill in the blanks and draw out the actual meaning of her verses. -
4
Do not ignore the religious aspect:
Emily Dickinson had an exceptional knowledge of Bible and sometimes even a single and simple word has deep connection with the Bible. You must read Bible also to understand her poetry. -
5
Keep her personality and art work separate:
The most common mistake people make while reading Emily is that they look at her through her poetry. You must know that every poet tries to cover issues from every possible angle. They are simply the mirrors of a society.
