Emily Dickinson
(10 December, 1830 –15 May,1886)
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A reclusive poetess
Pioneer of the 20th
century modern poetry
Enjoy equal popularity with
Walt Whitman
The Homestead of Amherst in 1813
Repainted Homestead
Dickinson’s Bedroom
A Nun in White Dress （白衣女尼）
How Much Do You Know
Emily Dickinson
Her Life and Love
Her Family
Her Poetry
Lead-in Question
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Emily Dickinson is
called “a nun of
Ahmerst” (阿姆斯特
修女), what are the
reasons for her
recluse ?
灵魂选择自己的伙伴—
然后，紧闭门扉—
对她神圣的多数—
不再开启—
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Family: Emily was born in 1830 into a
Calvinist family of Amherst,
Massachusetts. Her father was a Whig
lawyer, and later in her life, treasurer of
Amherst College and Congressman.
This old Puritan, with a heart “pure and
terrible,” influenced her in no small way.
Emily enjoyed a normal and vivacious
girlhood. From her family she had love,
though not always understanding. She
was shy, sensitive, sometimes
rebellious.
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Education: For two years she studied
at Amherst Academy and spent one
more at the Mount Holyoke Female
Seminary. The school was strongly
congregational, but she refused to
observe its religious customs.
Two Men Who Influenced her Life
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Benjamin Newton, a young lawyer, who
improved her literary and cultural tastes. She
refers to him “a friend, who taught me
immortality.”
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Charles Wadsworth, a married, middle-aged
minister who provided her with intellectual
challenge and contact with the outside world.
Dickinson felt an affection for him that he could
not return.
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我曾两次失却，
在草地里。
我曾两次如乞丐般站着
在上帝的门前！
天使——两次降临
补偿我的损失——
窃贼，投资者，上帝，
我又一次贫困！
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Writing career: She began writing seriously
during her twenties. She wrote 1775 poems,
but only seven of them were published in her
life time. Dickinson called these poems a
continuous fragmented “letter to the world,” a
way to bridge her private world with the public.
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After her death in 1886, her poems were
discovered by her sister Lavinia. With the help
of Mrs. M. L. Todd and Thomas Wentworth,
the first volume of 115 poems appeared in
1890. After her poetry continues to be issued,
her fame has kept rising.
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Her parents’ death: On June 16,
1874, Edward Dickinson suffered
a stroke and died. on June 15,
1875, Emily's mother also
suffered a stroke.
Dickinson’s death: died on May
15, 1886. The cause of death
was listed as Bright's disease
(nephritis 肾炎).
Emily Dickinson’s literary nutrition
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English classical literature: William Shakespeare, Bible,
Metaphysical poetry(George Herbert), hymn poet Isaac
Watts
English Romantic poets: William Wordsworth, John
Keats, P.B Shelley
Gothic Style: mysterious house, tomb, bride in white
dress
New England traditon: Puritanism, terror and seduction,
transcedentalism
II. Dickinson’s View and Theme
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Dickinson’s poems are usually based on her
own experiences, her sorrows and joys. But
within her little lyrics she addresses those
issues that concern the whole human beings,
which include religion, death, immortality, love
and nature.
A. In some of her poems she wrote about her
doubt and belief about religious subjects. While
she desired salvation and immortality, she
denied the orthodox view of paradise. Although
she believed in God, she sometimes doubted
His benevolence.
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B. By far the largest portion of Dickinson’s poetry
concerns death and immortality, ranging over the
physical as well as the psychological and emotional
aspects of death. She looked at death from the point
of both the living and the dying. She even imagined
her own death, the loss of her own body, and the
journey of the soul to the unknown. Death and
immortality lie at the centre of Dickinson’s world.
Death comes imperceptibly as grief and marks the
beginning of a higher life.
eg: I died for beauty, but was scarce
I heard a fly buzz when I died
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C. Dickinson sees nature as both
gaily benevolent and cruel. Her
nature poems are also great in
number and rich in matter. Natural
phenomena, changes of seasons,
heavenly bodies, animals, birds
and insects, flowers of various
kinds—all these and many other
subjects related to nature find
their way into her poetry. (different
from Wordsworth’s view of nature)
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D. Love is another subject
Dickinson dwelt on. One group
of her love poems treats the
suffering and frustration love
can cause. These poems are
clearly the reflection of her own
unhappy experience, closely
related to her deepest and most
private feelings. (“I cannot live
without you”)
The other group of love poems
focuses on the physical aspect
of desire, in which Dickinson
dealt with, allegorically, the
influence of the male authorities
over the female, emphasizing
the power of physical attraction
and expressing a mixture of fear
and fascination for the
mysterious magnetism between
sexes.
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E. Besides the above
themes, her poems are
also concerned about
ethics, with respect to
which, she emphasizes
free will and human
responsibility.
III. Features of Dickinson’s Poems
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Titleless: her poems have no titles, hence
are always quoted by their first lines.
Particular punctuations: in her poetry there
is particular stress pattern, in which dashes
are used as a musical device to create
cadence (rhythm) and capital letters as a
means of emphasis.
Inverted sentence structure: Dickinson’s
irregular or sometimes inverted sentence
structure also confuses readers.
Comic elements: self-mock, skillful use of
narrative point of view, exaggeration and
cartoonlike situation
Because I could not stop for Death—
One of the perfect poems in English.
One of the greatest in the English language.
—Allen Tate
Because I could not stop for Death—
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Perhaps Dickinson’s most famous
work, “Because I Could Not Stop
for Death” is generally considered
to be one of the great masterpieces
of American poetry. Written around
1863, the poem was published in
Dickinson’s first posthumous
collection, Poems by Emily
Dickinson, in 1890. It has also
been printed under the title “The
Chariot.”
Discussion
Questions
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Death is unavoidable for everybody, what’s your
opinion about death?
According to the speaker, is death terrible or
charming? (stanza 1 and 2)
What are the symbolic meanings of “the School”,
“the fields of Gazing Grain”, “the Setting Sun”?
What is the speaker’s view on death?
Stanza I
1 Because I could not stop for Death –
2 He kindly stopped for me –
3 The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
4 And Immortality.
He: death; angel of death.
In this poem the angel of death is personified. The angel of death is
here presented as a very polite gentleman.
The word “kindly” relaxes the solemn tone of this poem about death.
 Carriage: vehicle pulled by horses for carrying people; in this line,
“Carriage” Refers to hearse(灵车), a car to carry a body in a coffin
to the funeral before being put in the grave.
 Ourselves: the angel of death and the speaker.
 Immortality: state of living forever (Here it is also personified);
immortality appears in the same carriage with “death” and the
speaker
Stanza 1: The angel of death, in the image of a kind person, comes in
a carriage for the sake of Immortality and the poetess.
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Stanza II
5 We slowly drove – He knew no haste
6 And I had put away
7 My labor and my leisure too,
8 For His Civility –
He: god of death. God of death isn’t in a
hurry when doing his duty.
put away: left over; gave up.
Civility: politeness; respect.
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Stanza 2:
To show my politeness to
god of death, I gave up
my work and my
enjoyment of life as well
Stanza III
9 We passed the School, where Children strove
10 At Recess – in the Ring –
11 We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
12 We passed the Setting Sun –
Recess: play period during school session.
in the Ring: in the playground; standing in ring
when playing games.
Gazing Grain: the grain which is gazing
upwards. The figurative speech of
personification is skillfully used here to remind
the reader that we, as human being, are just
passers-by in this world; comparatively, the
grain in the fields, growing year after year, is
able to gaze upwards one generation after
another.
Stanza 3:
The journey of our carriage
implies the experience of human
life; school implies time for
childhood; the fields of gazing
grain, for youth and adulthood;
while the setting sun, for old age.
Stanza IV
13 Or rather – He passed Us –
14 The Dews drew quivering and chill –
15 For only Gossamer, my Gown –
16 My Tippet – only Tulle , –
Further question
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Pay more attention to the verb “passed” in
Stanza 3 and 4? What did the speaker suggest?
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Notice those words “Gossamer, gown, tippet
and tulle”. Is life juxtaposed (并置在一起）with
death?
Notes
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He: the setting sun.
The Dews: the appearance of “the dews” implies the falling
of night.
drew quivering and chill: brought me a sense of fear.
(I felt chilly and frightened) because I was dressed only
with Gossamer and Gown.
Gossamer: fine, silky substance of webs made by small
spiders; very thin, silky materials, usually for woman’s
dresses. Here it refers to the shroud on the dead body.
gown: grave clothes.
Tippet: shoulder cape or scarf ; long piece of fur, etc., worn
by a woman round the neck and shoulder, with the end
hanging down in front. 披肩
Tulle: soft fine silky net— like material used especially for
veils and dresses. 薄纱
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Stanza 4：
Probably we may say the sun
sets before we reach the
destination—the night falls,
death arrives. I felt a fear and
chilly after death, for my
shroud is thin and my scarf too
light. Despite the description of
“death”, the usual gloomy and
horrifying atmosphere is
lightened by the poetess with
the elegantly fluttering clothing
she describes.
Stanza V
17 We paused before a House that seemed
18 A Swelling of the Ground –
19 The Roof was scarcely visible –
20 The Cornice– in the Ground –
House: grave.
Cornice : ornamental moulding in plaster,
round the walls of a room, just below the
ceiling. (飞檐\檐口)
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Stanza 5：
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This stanza shifts to
the description of the
tomb. With the words
as “House, swelling
(which conveys a
suggestive similarity to
“vault”) roof,”
especially “cornice,”
the grave is described
as a magnificent
building.
Stanza VI
21 Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
22 Feels shorter than the Day
23 I first surmised the Horses' Heads
24 Were toward Eternity –
then: the arrival of my death.
surmised: supposed; guessed. (猜度)
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Stanza 6:
Several centuries had passed
since the arrival of death upon
me. However, I felt it is shorter
than a day. On that day I
suddenly realized that death is
the starting point for eternity,
and the carriage is heading
towards it.
Main Idea Overview (1)
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In the poem, a woman tells the
story of how she is busily going
about her day when a polite
gentleman by the name of Death
arrives in his carriage to take her
out for a ride. Incidentally
mentioned, the third passenger
in the coach is a silent,
mysterious stranger named
Immortality.
Main Idea Overview (2)
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Death takes the woman on a
leisurely, late-afternoon ride to
the grave and beyond, passing
playing children, wheat fields,
and the setting sun — all
reminders of the cyclical nature of
human life — along the way.
They pause a moment at her
grave, perhaps Death’s house,
which “seemed / A Swelling of the
Ground,” and then continue their
never-ending ride “toward
Eternity.”
Suggested Answers to Questions
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Death is a way leading to immortality. In this poem,
the speaker personifies death into a gentlemen,
who leads him to immortality with kindness.
They represent three stages of life. The school is
the childhood and young age; the fields of gazing
grain refers to the mature period and the setting
sun the old age, that is the end of one’s life.
Tone and Theme
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Tone: the tone is changeable with
the stanzas progress. First, the
tone is light and pleasant. Then, it
becomes serious and finally, the
tone changes to be meditative.
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Theme: her puzzling over death
leading to immortality. Death is an
endless journey; It’s a journey from
life to death, from physical to
spiritual, from time to timelessness.
More views on death…
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To die: to sleep; No more;
—by William Shakespeare
A life time is a year, death is winter.
—by Robert Browning
Death, esp a young beautiful lady’s death, is the most
poetical topic in the world.
— by Edgar Allan Poe
LIFE IS A JOURNEY
Dante begins his Divine Comedy:
In the middle of life’s road,
I found myself in a dark wood.
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DEATH IS DEPARTURE
Dickinson’s coachman is paralleled by
T.S.Eliot’s footman:
I have seen the moment of my greatness
flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my
coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.
 (“The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”)
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A LIFE TIME IS A YEAR; DEATH IS WINTER
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Robert Browning’s “Prospice”:
FEAR death?—to feel the fog in my throat,
The mist in my face,
When the snows begin, and the blasts denote
I am nearing the place,
Comparative Study
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A comparison between Dickinson and
Walt Whitman，Thoreau, Tao
Yuanming and Li Qingzhao
Comparison: Whitman vs. Dickinson
Similarities:
Thematically, they both extolled, in their different ways, an
emergent America, its expansion, its individualism and its
Americanness, their poetry being part of “American Renaissance”.
Technically, they both added to the literary independence of the
new nation by breaking free of the convention of the iambic
pentameter and exhibiting a freedom in form unknown before:
they were pioneers in American poetry.
 Differences:
Whitman seems to keep his eye on society at large; Dickinson
explores the inner life of the individual. Whereas Whitman is
“national” in his outlook, Dickinson is “regional”.
Dickinson has the “catalogue technique” (direct, simple style)
which Whitman doesn’t have.
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Emily Dickinson’s “If you were
coming in the fall”
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如果你在秋天来到,
我会如主妇对待苍蝇般，
以浅浅笑容和微微的排拒 ,
轻轻将夏天掸开 。
假如你是一年后才来 ,
我就将每个月份卷成球，
放在不同的抽屉 ,
免得混淆了日期。
如果只不过是耽搁数个世紀 ,
我就用手指来细数 ,
直到指头都脱落 ,
掉在蛮荒之地。
假如确定我们会在生命之后相遇
我会挥掷生命同果皮
以品尝永恒的甜蜜
但是现在仍无法确定
这期间的等待困扰着我
如一只伺机又不肯扎刺的蜜蜂
李清照 《一剪梅》
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红藕香残玉簟秋。
轻解罗裳，独上兰舟。
云中谁寄锦书来？
雁字回时，月满西楼。
花自飘零水自流。
一种相思，两处闲愁。
此情无计可消除，
才下眉头，却上心头。
异&同
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写作特点上两人都以简洁著称；善于使用比喻
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写作风格上：李清照善于借景抒情，情景融化无间，委婉
含蓄地表达了她的相思的惆怅和苦闷；而狄金森的这首诗
歌表现更加直接，用第一人称的笔法大胆叙述对爱人是否
归来的期盼，以及无法确认他的归期的绝望心情，如被毒
蜂叮咬一般痛苦。诗中写到 为了爱情可以放弃生命“如
同驱赶苍蝇一样赶走夏季，挥掷生命如同果皮”。
Study of Dikinson abroad and China
In China
 第一类是对狄金森作品主题的探讨
 第二类讨论的是狄金森诗歌的艺术风格
 第三类涉及狄金森诗歌创作的影响源分析
 第四类是对狄金森诗歌译本的评析
 第五类是综述性评论
Abroad
国外研究者们在70年代便开始采用多视角的审美方式对狄
金森的诗歌进行欣赏和分析，将心理学、语言学、现象
学和女性主义文学批评介入诗歌评析。
期待研究的空白：对其书信的研究
Homework
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Preview Edgar Allan Poe and his “Raven”
Presentation work 1: How Edgar Allan Poe
successfully shaped the gothic atmosphere
in “Raven”?
Presentation work 2: Appreciate poem
“Annabel Lee”