“The stiff Heart questions–:” Decoding the Legend of Emily Dickinson

Abstract

Emily Dickinson’s shockingly raw poetry, which mirrors her enigmatic brilliance through the use of unprecedented wordplay and structural defiance, represents one of the most dynamic radicalisms in American literature. However, within her narrative, remains a gaping biographical hole that scholars perpetually try to fill. Through a close reading of her poetry and letters, I have explored the complexity of Dickinson’s legend, in order to better understand the origins of her creative genius, as well as her poetic motivations. In my research, I have drawn parallels between Dickinson’s writings and family dynamic, while investigating her supposed agoraphobia. In a further attempt to evaluate the extent of the poet’s involvement in her community, I analyzed Dickinson’s “Master Letters” to examine her theorized romance. This paper asserts that Dickinson’s poetry was shaped just as much by her increasing isolation as it was by her love-struck escapades.