Study Questions and Suggested Essay Topics
Study Questions
Emily Dickinson's personal life receives
as much attention, or even more attention, than her poetry. Why
do you think this is so?
To what extent was Emily Dickinson the
eccentric recluse she is often portrayed as being?
Describe some of the reasons that Dickinson
did not gain fame as a poet during her lifetime.
Suggested Essay Topics
Discuss some of the themes that appear in Emily Dickinson's poetry.
Why do you think Emily Dickinson did not seek publication
more actively?
Discuss some of the criticisms of Dickinson's poetry
made by Thomas Wentworth Higginson. How did Dickinson's respond,
and what does her response reveal about her attitude toward her
work?
Susan Gilbert Dickinson was torn about publishing Dickinson's poems,
feeling that someone so shy in life would not have liked her poems
put on display. Yet in her private notes, Emily Dickinson was extremely
ambitious and sought fame. If you were Emily Dickinson's literary
executor, would you have pushed to publish her poetry? Why or why
not?
