Emily Dickinson, Letters

Margaret Freeman (Myrifield Institute for Cognition and the Arts)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.2: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1842 - 1886

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Letter(s)

Resources

It comes as something of a surprise to learn that Emily Dickinson, whose reputation as a major poet is universally recognized, was known first for her prose compositions. Although none of her school compositions have survived, they were of sufficient merit that Emily became known for her sharp pencil and original wit. At Amherst Academy she apparently contributed both composition and cartoons to a student magazine, called Forest Leaves. What remains of Dickinson’s prose work survives in the voluminous correspondence she engaged in throughout her life. The quality of this writing provides a rich resource for the insights it gives to Dickinson’s life and personality and to her perspectives on literature and her own …

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2728 words

Citation: Freeman, Margaret. "Letters". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 January 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16699, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Save this article