Some seek in Art – the Art of Peace: the theme of solitude in the life and words of Emily Dickinson

[摘要] This work explores the theme of solitude in the life and words of Emily Dickinson through a chronological examination of her poems and letters. It principally interacts with these primary texts by way of close, contextualized readings, drawing also from secondary sources, both biographical and critical, in an analysis of the motivations behind and consequences of Dickinson’s seclusion. It breaks her life into three eras: 1830-1860, 1860-1870, 1870-1886, representing the development of her solitude from her early years rejecting organized religion, to her lifelong insistence on the importance of self. It traces her fear of loss and her hope for immortality, assessing all elements in their contribution to her isolated state. Most significantly this thesis exposes the regrets that haunted Emily Dickinson in her final years, accustomed to her solitude but also anxious that she had not appreciated the sanctity of her life in her preoccupation with her secluded search for self-knowledge.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies, Department of English Literature

[关键词] E History America;E11 America (General)