Born on December 10, 1830, in the picturesque town of Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson's life was as intricate as her poems, woven into the fabric of 19th-century America, an era of significant transition.
Amherst, with its academic ambience owing to the establishment of Amherst College, greatly influenced Emily's upbringing. She was born to Edward Dickinson, a prominent lawyer, and treasurer of the college, and Emily Norcross Dickinson, a reserved woman who was often characterized by her reclusiveness—a trait Emily inherited. The Dickinson family was well-respected within the community, allowing Emily a relatively privileged upbringing.
Her education began at the Amherst Academy in 1834, where she spent seven formative years. The academy, progressive for its time, offered girls an education on par with boys. Here, Emily was introduced to the world of literature, science, and even more significantly, to the writings of William Wordsworth and Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose works would later influence her own.
From Amherst Academy, she proceeded to attend Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1847. However, her stint there was brief, only a year, as she returned home for reasons not entirely clear—some speculate health issues, while others think she was homesick or simply displeased with the seminary's strict environment.
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.”
- Emily Dickinson
From the age of 23, Emily began to spend most of her days indoors and began to withdraw from society. During this time, she did not entirely cut off contact with others; writing letters to family and friends, mostly her sister-in-law and closest friend Susan Huntington Gilbert who lived next door to Emily in a house named the Evergreens. At this stage of Emily's withdrawal, she continued to receive certain guests in her home and occasionally travelled to visit her relatives across New England. However, by the age of thirty, Emily became a relative recluse, allowing her to focus on developing her poetry. Her decision to wear only white dresses in her later years added to the mystique that surrounded her.
Emily Dickinson's poetic style is distinguished by its unique blend of concision, idiosyncratic punctuation, and introspective depth. Often employing a first-person perspective, her verses explore vast themes like death, love, and the intricacies of the human psyche, all encapsulated in brief, compressed lines. Her use of dashes, unconventional capitalization, and slant rhyme gave her poetry a distinct rhythm and an enigmatic quality, challenging readers to delve deeper into her contemplations. While her choice of simple language and domestic imagery made her work accessible, the layered meanings beneath her words revealed a profound, innovative thinker, unafraid to confront the ambiguities of existence.
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”
― Emily Dickinson
Sadly, Emily's life was cut short on May 15, 1886 at the age of 55. Emily Dickinson died of Bright's disease, a term historically used to describe a group of kidney disorders. The disease, which can result in nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) and kidney failure, was a relatively common diagnosis in the 19th century.
Throughout her life, she penned close to 1,800 poems. These delved into themes of love, death, nature, and immortality. Yet, the literary world saw only a fraction of these during her lifetime, with those few being edited to fit the conventional norms of the time. It was only after her passing on May 15, 1886, that her complete works, in their original form, saw the light of day, thanks to the dedicated efforts of her family, especially her sister Lavinia.
“Forever is composed of nows.”
― Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson's life story is not merely that of a poet but also of a woman who, in an age of constraints, found freedom in words. While 19th-century America was undergoing monumental shifts, from the throes of Civil War to the dawn of technological marvels like the telegraph, women's roles remained largely confined to the domestic sphere. Against this backdrop, Dickinson’s vast and unconventional body of work becomes even more awe-inspiring. Today, as readers traverse the corridors of her childhood home, now a National Historic Landmark, they are reminded of a trailblazing woman who, in the face of societal norms, carved an unparalleled legacy in the world of literature.
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