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Classic Authors: Emily Dickinson

© Susan Jensen

Emily Dickinson is known almost as much for her odd, reclusive lifestyle as she is for her poetry. Although the poet had a seemingly normal childhood, marked by her stern Puritan father, several girlfriends and the devotion of her sister Livinia, she would become a recluse later in her life. Safely tucked away in her bedroom, she wrote volumes of poetry and many letters, most of which would be published and appreciated only after her death.

Emily was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was a lawyer and statesman, while her mother was a homemaker. While Emily admired her father, she did not receive much affection from either him or her mother. Still, she preferred being in her Amherst home to anything. In fact, she was not happy when she was forced to attend school at Mount Female Holyoke Seminary, which was ten miles from her home.

Even as a child and adolescent, when she had friends and playmates, Emily would often slip away and explore nature alone. Although she was liked, her friends found her solitude peculiar. As she grew, Emily retreated more into herself. By her 20's, Emily had become almost a myth - someone who was heard of, but rarely seen. She often hid from visitors, preferring the safe walls of her bedroom. It was rare to see Emily, although her form, always dressed in white, could sometimes be glimpsed through the windows of the family's mansion.

Only 10 of Emily's poems were published in her lifetime. At first, she eagerly sought acceptance with several mentors, but her work never seemed appreciated. Many of her acquaintances thought that her work was brilliant, but the editors to which her work was submitted constantly changed her words and meanings. Frustrated, Emily refused to publish. "How can you print a piece of your soul?" she lamented. Instead, she copied the poems that she liked, bound them and hid them in her bureau. After her death, Livinia found Emily's books and made them available for publication.

Neither Emily nor her sister ever married, although some biographers say that she fell in love at least once. It is only known that at age 30, Emily began to write about love. Previously, she had been obsessed with flowers, animals and other natural wonders and later she would think obsessively about death. Her poetry, as Puritanly frugal as her upbringing, reveals only some of her thoughts.