"Tell All The Truth, But Tell It Slant"

by Zoe Pollock

Mark Vernon has a lovely rumination on the philosophy of Emily Dickinson's poetry:

What she realizes is that the truth which is beyond us, which is discerned only indirectly, is the only truth that is truly worth seeking. That which we can readily grasp and manipulate is too easy for us. It's humdrum. It leaves life too small for us, the creature with an eye for the transcendent. But look further, and what you are offered is what she calls truth's 'superb surprise'. That's...