Trying to Think with Emily Dickinson

Abstract

Emily Dickinson had a sharp mind, but what did she think of thinking? This essay uses letters and poems to examine the many important roles that thought played in her life and poetry. Part one portrays Dickinson as a Lockean-Kantian postmodern artist who used poetry to test and expand her mind's limits. Part two introduces a lyrical subgenre unique to Dickinson: the "try-to-think" poem. Part three, a close reading of "I tried to think a lonelier Thing," reveals key elements of a typically difficult Dickinsonian project: thinking extreme emotion.

Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press

Publication Date

6-6-2005

Publication Title

Emily Dickinson Journal

Department

Comparative Literature

Additional Department

English

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/edj.2005.0003

Keywords

Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886--Criticism and interpretation, Thought and thinking in literature

Language

English

Format

text

Link to Full Text

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