Beth Marlay Dorianis Dickinson: Daughter of Prophecy - Essay Example

 «Beth Marlay Dorianis Dickinson: Daughter of Prophecy» In this day and age, Emily Dickinson is deemed to be one of America’s greatest poets. Her works are remarkably original, even by present standards. Her poems have captivated generations of readers, as she writes about a myriad of topics; from the lofty—love, emotion, death, immortality, to the more mundane—bees, trees, and domestic chores. Even when she writes about the commonplace, how she expresses them is like no one else in her time (Meyer 142). She was not reluctant to defy convention, with her unusual grammatical manipulation and frequent use of dashes. She stands out as one of the greatest American literary figures. This essay’s object is to identify the influences factors that have shaped her style and writing. In Beth Marlay Doriani’s Dickinson: Daughter of Prophecy, she cites Christianity in the nineteenth century patriarchal context as one of the great influences on Dickinson’s works. In Dickinson’s poems, her treatment of Christian ideals and religion in general are often paradoxical and conflicting. Doriani states: “Dickinson's vision can be at times very orthodox, radically Christian, often ethical, yet, alternately secular, abandoning Christian dogma and principles” (26). This can be explained by an understanding of Dickinson’s projection of herself as an “inspired religious visionary”, one that is often at odds with tradition (Doriani 26). It is also suggested that her treatment of traditional Christian ideals is a form of defiance of the cultural circumstances she’s in and that “she drew on her religious surroundings to achieve liberation within her own cultural context, patriarchal as that culture was” (Doriani 2). Also, nineteenth century preachers were believed to have a notable influence in the formation of the “literary character” of their listeners (Doriani 47), and an influential ecclesiastical writer and preacher, Jonathan Edwards, who is also a family friend, is said to be indicative of Dickinson’s internal convictions (Howe 47-48). The influence of preachers and the oratorical prose can be demonstrated by her constant use of dashes. Michael Meyer, in Thinking and Writing about Literature, furthers: “Since her use of dashes is sometimes puzzling, it helps to read her poems aloud to hear how carefully the words are arrange. What might seem intimidating on a silent page can surprise the reader with meaning when heard” (142). Dickinson was an intensely private person. She never married and is seen by neighbors to be quite eccentric, having unusual habits like her insistence on wearing only white, an act that can be construed as an emphasis that “she had rejected marriage to dedicate herself to art” (Martin 129). Doriani also suggests that the Biblical concept of self-denial that was prevalent in the evangelicalism of her times could have an “influence on her own sense of self” (Doriani 153). Also, the lack of household obligations played a part in establishing her as a writer. She shunned domestic duties and used her time and freedom to write poetry (Martin 5). Her “individualistic instincts and irreverent sensibilities” did not fit with the idea of domestic duty and social convention that was expected of women at that time (Meyer 138). Herein lies the crucial part her sister Lavinia Dickinson because this would “not have been possible without her sister's willingness to assume ho role of domestic caretaker” (Martin 95). Dickinson was somewhat of a recluse and only confides exclusively with a number of people, rarely leaving her father’s house in her last years. The most notable relationship is that with her best friend, Susan Gilbert, and Dickinson’s letters to her clearly show great fondness and attachment for her. According to Martha Nell Smith in her essay, “Susan and Emily Dickinson: their lives in letters,” evidence point to Dickinson showing Susan Gilbert poems and drafts, an act that seems to be exclusive to her. This gave Gilbert an immense influence on Dickinson, as attested by her giving “editorial suggestions (that) Dickinson sometimes followed” (53). However, as passionate as some of her works are, her love poems expressing acute feelings of love and longing, biographers were unable to incontestably identify the object of her affections (Meyer139). She was not known to be fond of any particular writer of her day. All her work is largely original and contemporaries have “little or no effect” on her literary style, but she was inspired by such writers like Shakespeare (Meyer 140), and Emerson. Now and then, she uses references to Shakespeare’s work and classical myths in her poetry. According to Meyer, she also “used contemporary popular church hymns, transforming their standard rhythms into free-form hymn meters” (140). All in all it could be surmised Dickinson’s literary persona was shaped by a number of different factors. The author’s craft is shaped by an amalgamation of her life experiences, relationships, emotional and psychological state, the social and cultural context of her time, all of them not mutually exclusive, but interacting on all degrees and levels. Works Cited Doriani, Beth Marlay. Emily Dickinson: Daughter of Prophecy. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 1996. Howe, Susan. My Emily Dickinson. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1985. Martin, Wendy. An American Triptych: Anne Bradstreet, Emily Dickinson, and Adrienne Rich. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1984. Meyer, Michael. Thinking and Writing about Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1995 Smith, Martha Nell. "Susan and Emily Dickinson: their lives in letters." The Cambridge Companion to Emily Dickinson. Ed. Wendy Martin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 53. Read More