Dickinson, Emily, author, and Roberts Brothers, publisher. Letters of Emily Dickinson. editeds by Todd, Mabel Loomis. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1894. PDF. https://www.loc.gov/item/24022101/.
This collection of letters contains some of the oldest known writing samples from American icon Emily Dickinson, with some written when she was just fourteen years old. These letters help place Dickinson’s poetry within its appropriate historical context, humanize her beyond her reputation for being a recluse, and further highlight her skill as a writer.
This collection includes Emily Dickinson’s letters to a variety of family and friends and covers a wide range of topics. However, it is worth noting that this volume does not contain her letters to Susan Dickinson, her brother’s wife, or to her mentor Thomas Wentworth-Higginson.
Emily Dickinson was an American poet who lived from 1830 until 1886. She spent most of her life in Amherst, Massachusetts. While she did publish some of her poetry before her death, it was not until her younger sister Lavinia found Emily’s poetry and set about trying to get it published posthumously that she received widespread recognition for her work. Her letters have also been studied extensively and some scholars argue that her correspondences are essential to understanding her poetry.
- What are some of the important historical events referenced in Dickinson’s letters to her brother Austin?
- How does reading Dickinson’s personal letters impact your perception of her as a person and writer?
- Was it ethical for these “private” letters to be published publicly ?
- Some of Dickinson’s letters were edited or omitted from this collection. Does that make the publication more or less ethical?
New York State Next Gen ELA Standards
11-12W2f: Establish and maintain a style appropriate to the writing task.
- Students may use Dickinson’s letters as a mentor text for composing their own personal correspondence.
11-12L4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- Dickinson’s letters contain sophisticated and occasionally antiquated language, and students will likely need to utilize context clues and other strategies to fully understand her letters.
- Modern students may have never written, especially by hand, a personal letter. Students can look to Dickinson’s example in terms of writing about small everyday happenings, asking questions, and enjoying the slower pace of analog correspondence.
- On Trial: Students can imagine that they are putting Lavinia Dickinson and Mary Loomis Todd on trial for their publication of these letters.
- Lateral Reading: Students can research some of the happenings that Dickinson describes or allusions that she makes in her letters.
- These letters might be challenged because of their occasional discussion of Dickinson’s spirituality, including in the introduction, and because of their personal and less academic nature.
- The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Dickinson’s poetry is what she is most famous for.
- The handbook of Amherst, Massachusetts. This book includes information about Amherst, where Dickinson spent most of her life.
- The Emily Dickinson Museum: This website has an abundance of information about Emily Dickinson in general, but also about her letters specifically.
- Nerdwriter: This popular YouTuber has a video unpacking Dickinson’s poetic style.
- Crash Course: John Green provides background information about Dickinson, and addresses some misconceptions about her life poetry in this video analysis.