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The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson is a collection of pieces by 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson, who insisted that her life of isolation gave her an introspective and deep connection with the world. As a result, her work parallels her life — misunderstood in its time, but full of depth and imagination, and covering such universal themes as nature, art, friendship, love, society, mortality, and more. During Dickinson’s lifetime only seven of her poems were published, but after her death her prolific writings were discovered and shared. With this volume, readers can dive into the now widely respected poetry of Emily Dickinson.
Lexile code: NP
Lexile code: NP
176 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 1, 2024
Emily Dickinson wrote about 1800 poems during her lifetime, most of them published after her death, despite her express wishes, by her sister Lavinia. Was this moral? Maybe not. But the world wouldn't have more than 10 of her poems and probably would have forgotten her, had her sister not go against her wishes. Unfortunately, this also means that Lavinia was the one to chose which of the multiple variants of the same poem to publish, and we don't know which of those exactly were the versions preferred or considered "finished" by Dickinson.
This volume does not, of course, encompass all her poetry. It's nearly impossible for that to happen. But it's a nice selection in a gorgeous illustrated edition that made my heart giddy, especially with the coming of spring.
Not all of the poems spoke to me - she delves into spirituality and religion quite a bit, which is not my preferred theme in literature (it's hinted that she was an atheist, but her poetry, although sometimes challenging religion, does not feel atheist), but she also wrote verses about nature, death and immortality, loneliness, morality, love. There's even a poem about the love for literature.
Dickinson possessed a unique talent to illustrate abstract concepts through tangible and vivid imagery, many concepts, death especially, becoming personified in her verses.
There's a steady rhythm to her verse, the rhyme is often experimental, and her use of punctuation - especially the dash - is unique. Additionally, Dickinson had a tendency to capitalize interior words within her poetry, probably to emphasize their importance, adding to the distinctiveness of her style.
This is a lovely, cozy collection, which, together with the imagery on the pages, went well with the spring season.
This volume does not, of course, encompass all her poetry. It's nearly impossible for that to happen. But it's a nice selection in a gorgeous illustrated edition that made my heart giddy, especially with the coming of spring.
Not all of the poems spoke to me - she delves into spirituality and religion quite a bit, which is not my preferred theme in literature (it's hinted that she was an atheist, but her poetry, although sometimes challenging religion, does not feel atheist), but she also wrote verses about nature, death and immortality, loneliness, morality, love. There's even a poem about the love for literature.
Dickinson possessed a unique talent to illustrate abstract concepts through tangible and vivid imagery, many concepts, death especially, becoming personified in her verses.
There's a steady rhythm to her verse, the rhyme is often experimental, and her use of punctuation - especially the dash - is unique. Additionally, Dickinson had a tendency to capitalize interior words within her poetry, probably to emphasize their importance, adding to the distinctiveness of her style.
This is a lovely, cozy collection, which, together with the imagery on the pages, went well with the spring season.
January 20, 2019
This is an absolutely lovely set of poetry. I would definitely recommend picking up this book if you are interested in reading works by Emily Dickinson. It was an absolute pleasure to sit down and finally read some work by this literary great!
Poetry bundles are honestly one of the greatest achievements in literature. They are the type of anthologies we truly need! I'm glad someone decided to put this book together.
It was a personal goal to just read something by Emily Dickinson. Sometimes I just want to sit down and read a classic without any strings attached. I'd highly recommend her work if you're interested in poetry.
Five out of five stars. What a lovely collection!
Poetry bundles are honestly one of the greatest achievements in literature. They are the type of anthologies we truly need! I'm glad someone decided to put this book together.
It was a personal goal to just read something by Emily Dickinson. Sometimes I just want to sit down and read a classic without any strings attached. I'd highly recommend her work if you're interested in poetry.
Five out of five stars. What a lovely collection!
January 6, 2023
it is literally impossible to pick up a poetry collection of emily dickinson and to have read every poem in it. which makes sense considering that she wrote nearly 1800 poems during her lifetime. that being said, this collection really had some gems in it, such as "My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun" and "How Far Is It To Heaven?".
June 17, 2021
I am in a long, annoying reading slump [ugh], so I picked this up because it looked cute on my shelf and I'm a whore for sad 1800s lady poets. I read this tonight, and yeah I knew she was amazing and obviously gay as hell already but DAMN so 10/10
did-not-finish
July 23, 2023i sadly did not like Dickinson's poetry
the style and themes are not for me
the style and themes are not for me
July 3, 2025
Omg. I rarely read poetry but this was just so beautiful. ❤️❤️❤️
April 14, 2019
This is the first book of poetry I have read in my life that I did not like.
December 24, 2019
I'm a Dickinson fan, but actually listened to this version read by Julie Harris. She was amazing and allowed me to think of Dickinson's poems in a new way.
June 1, 2020
I hate to admit it but poetry is really not the genre for me :/ also this edition isn't illustrated with drawings, its simply stock pictures
October 10, 2024
An abundance of short poems, she packed a lot of meaning into a few lines.
The bustle in a house
The morning after death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon earth, -
The sweeping up the heart,
And putting love away
We shall not want to use again
Until eternity.
The bustle in a house
The morning after death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon earth, -
The sweeping up the heart,
And putting love away
We shall not want to use again
Until eternity.
November 6, 2024
Spoiler Alert: Like most collections, hit or miss.
December 31, 2020
Well done!
Emily Dickinson was an incredible poet. This edition, with its beautiful pages, honors her work. The publisher did a wonderful job with the printing. I am glad to see Dickinson's star, again, rising this generation. She is, perhaps, the greatest poet in American history; she is immortal.
A lovely edition that will add nicely to any bookshelf.
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
of prancing Poetry -
This Traverse may be the poorest take
Without opress of Toll -
How Frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul.
-Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson was an incredible poet. This edition, with its beautiful pages, honors her work. The publisher did a wonderful job with the printing. I am glad to see Dickinson's star, again, rising this generation. She is, perhaps, the greatest poet in American history; she is immortal.
A lovely edition that will add nicely to any bookshelf.
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
of prancing Poetry -
This Traverse may be the poorest take
Without opress of Toll -
How Frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul.
-Emily Dickinson
February 15, 2019
Again not the same book... I guess goodreads doesn't have all the books but it is basically the same thing.
I loved all the poetry and it just made me really happy to read some of them and some of the poems were dark and I gasped under my breath. Overall, highly enjoyable!
I loved all the poetry and it just made me really happy to read some of them and some of the poems were dark and I gasped under my breath. Overall, highly enjoyable!
January 4, 2020
This was a good, basic collection. I wished it had been organized more, with more background and interpretations.
July 8, 2024
This collection of poems was really lovely to read. If you’re someone who enjoys the imagery of nature along with its metaphors you’ll enjoy this collection!
March 22, 2019
Last weekend Evan and I had plans to eat dinner at Bennigan's in Vineland. It was St. Patrick's Day, after all.
Vineland isn't the closest town to us. It's not necessary far, but it is a good 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic, so we don't get around to the area very much. With the weather being so cold we have been limited in the activities we can participate on our days off. It's been way too cold to go to the park or do anything outside and we've already been to our local mall (Deptford) plenty of times and the only decent movie in theaters (Run the Race - highly recommend!) we've already seen. In order to make our trip more worthwhile (not that traveling 30-45 minutes to go to an Irish bar isn't totally worth it...) we decided to hang out around the Cumberland mall before dinner.
Now I know some people have different opinions about the Cumberland mall. It's not very big and those who live in the Vineland area don't tend to like it too much. I suppose if this is your local mall and one of the only things around it can be a bit limiting, but for Evan and I it offers something different and it provides us with a sense of nostalgia since many of the stores are no longer in business around us (such as FYE, one of our all-time favorite stores).
The Cumberland mall also has a book store which sadly our mall hasn't had in years. This mall has a Books a Million (BAM) and it is fantastic.
If you know me at all you know I lack the ability to simply walk past a book store without stopping in and checking it out. If you REALLY know me you also know I lack self-control and even though I have a million unread books all over my house, I still can't resist buying a new one every time I'm in proximity of a book store.
This time was no different. When I saw a collection of Emily Dickinson poems published by Arcturus Publishing titled, The Poetry of Emily Dickinson, I just HAD to buy it. For the amazing price of $5.97 how could I possibly pass it up?
The cover was really beautiful, too which further made me want to buy this book. It's simple with a plain black background and a single daisy on the front, but this is very fitting for Ms. Dickinson. Dickinson was a pretty dark poet. She often wrote about death and came off as being depressed/depressing. However, she also wrote about many beautiful things and as a transcendentalist/Romantic era writer, she embraced nature and frequently wrote about it.
This was surprisingly my first collection of Dickinson poems. However, it's definitely not my first encounter with the poet. I studied her extensively in college and have always been a huge fan of her work. In fact, it is my dream to visit Amherst, Massachusetts to see her house and to further study her.
One thing I love about reading and re-reading Dickinson's work is that I always learn something new or see something I didn't notice before. There's always something new to consider, analyze, research, and ponder of. This time was no different.
The things that stood out to me the most as I read through this collection were:
Dickinson's religion, or lack thereof.
All of the references to death.
The countless references to the angel Gabriel.
Dickinson's mental health.
The poem "You cannot put a fire out..." (often referred to as "133").
Many critics would agree that Emily Dickinson was an atheist or at the very least that she didn't believe in God. However, I'm not so sure I believe that. In this collection of nearly 315 poems I think she references God more often than not. If someone was so unsure God didn't exist, why would they spend so much time writing about him? Also, many of the references of God ask questions that allude to Dickinson not understanding why God seemingly wasn't there for her in tough times or why God doesn't give her strength she needs to get through her day. In "I took my poem in my hand..." (often referred to as "59") Dickinson states, "Was it Goliath was too large,/Or I too small?" as she discusses her struggle to maintain power and control and to overcome a challenging time in her life.
Similarly, Dickinson also references death in my poems that not. This could be due to the fact that throughout her childhood many of her friends and family members died tragic deaths from various illnesses, some at young ages. In many of these poems she also touches on the afterlife and appears to question the existence of heaven or her ability to get to heaven. However, I wouldn't say she feels it doesn't exist; she merely seems as though she is unsure. She also appears to be struggling with the deaths of her loved ones as she questions mortality and what it means for us to die and what we'll leave behind.
Dickinson also specifically references the angel Gabriel in multiple poems. Gabriel was viewed as a guardian angel and a saint. He was also the angel who told Mary she'd give birth to baby Jesus. People in the Bible often feared Gabriel. In some of these poems she compares elements of nature, such as the robin in "The robin is a Gabriel..." (often referred to as "4") to Gabriel. This suggests that nature brings her closer to her God, just as Gabriel warned his people of Jesus' coming. One may also suggest that perhaps this is Dickinson's way of expressing her fear of God and uncertainty surrounding his presence just as people were uncertain of what Gabriel was telling them when he said Mary would give birth to Jesus. Gabriel is often associated with heaven as well, so for Dickinson to dismiss Gabriel (as she often does throughout her poems) is perhaps a way for her to dismiss or question the existence of heaven as well.
After reading a majority of these poems I also suspect that Dickinson suffered from many mental illnesses. I see a combination of anxiety (which makes sense given how secluded she chose to be), depression (especially through her frequent writings on death and mortality). Other critics believe she may have suffered from bipolar disorder and I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of her suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well. Dickinson seems to acknowledge that she is not mentally well in many of her poems, too. Poems such as "I felt a cleaving in my mind..." (often referred to as "106") express the idea that Dickinson feels her mind pulling her in multiple directions. This poem states, "I felt a Cleaving in my Mind - / As if my Brain had split - " which may loosely be a reference to the possibility of Dickinson suffering from bipolar disorder.
There were many poems in this collection I was less familiar with that really stood out to my favorite poem was probably "You cannot put a fire out..." (often referred to as "133"). I felt that this was one of Dickinson's most passionate poems where she expressed the idea of being inextinguishable. After focusing so much on death, depression, doom and gloom, this poem seemed much more uplifting and optimistic. I felt that Dickinson was saying that no matter what life threw at her, she would rise above it and overcome it. She was a burning fire that could never be put out. I thought this poem had such a strong and powerful message and I was surprised it wasn't taught in schools more often.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this collection of Emily Dickinson poems. There was only two things that annoyed me with this edition of Dickinson's poems:
I hated the formatting. The poems were separated by little squiggly line breaks but some poems carried on to another page and sometimes it was confusing to know whether or not a poem was continuing over or if it was an entirely new poem altogether.
They didn't use page numbers for the titles. Dickinson's work is typically referred to by number since she didn't give titles to her work. Not having these numbers on hands makes it difficult to reference.
Looking past these style decisions, this is still a solid collection of Dickinson's finest poems that contain much beauty, thought, and expression. These poems are wonderfully crafted and thought-provoking and highly enjoyable to read. 4 out of 5 stars.
Vineland isn't the closest town to us. It's not necessary far, but it is a good 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic, so we don't get around to the area very much. With the weather being so cold we have been limited in the activities we can participate on our days off. It's been way too cold to go to the park or do anything outside and we've already been to our local mall (Deptford) plenty of times and the only decent movie in theaters (Run the Race - highly recommend!) we've already seen. In order to make our trip more worthwhile (not that traveling 30-45 minutes to go to an Irish bar isn't totally worth it...) we decided to hang out around the Cumberland mall before dinner.
Now I know some people have different opinions about the Cumberland mall. It's not very big and those who live in the Vineland area don't tend to like it too much. I suppose if this is your local mall and one of the only things around it can be a bit limiting, but for Evan and I it offers something different and it provides us with a sense of nostalgia since many of the stores are no longer in business around us (such as FYE, one of our all-time favorite stores).
The Cumberland mall also has a book store which sadly our mall hasn't had in years. This mall has a Books a Million (BAM) and it is fantastic.
If you know me at all you know I lack the ability to simply walk past a book store without stopping in and checking it out. If you REALLY know me you also know I lack self-control and even though I have a million unread books all over my house, I still can't resist buying a new one every time I'm in proximity of a book store.
This time was no different. When I saw a collection of Emily Dickinson poems published by Arcturus Publishing titled, The Poetry of Emily Dickinson, I just HAD to buy it. For the amazing price of $5.97 how could I possibly pass it up?
The cover was really beautiful, too which further made me want to buy this book. It's simple with a plain black background and a single daisy on the front, but this is very fitting for Ms. Dickinson. Dickinson was a pretty dark poet. She often wrote about death and came off as being depressed/depressing. However, she also wrote about many beautiful things and as a transcendentalist/Romantic era writer, she embraced nature and frequently wrote about it.
This was surprisingly my first collection of Dickinson poems. However, it's definitely not my first encounter with the poet. I studied her extensively in college and have always been a huge fan of her work. In fact, it is my dream to visit Amherst, Massachusetts to see her house and to further study her.
One thing I love about reading and re-reading Dickinson's work is that I always learn something new or see something I didn't notice before. There's always something new to consider, analyze, research, and ponder of. This time was no different.
The things that stood out to me the most as I read through this collection were:
Dickinson's religion, or lack thereof.
All of the references to death.
The countless references to the angel Gabriel.
Dickinson's mental health.
The poem "You cannot put a fire out..." (often referred to as "133").
Many critics would agree that Emily Dickinson was an atheist or at the very least that she didn't believe in God. However, I'm not so sure I believe that. In this collection of nearly 315 poems I think she references God more often than not. If someone was so unsure God didn't exist, why would they spend so much time writing about him? Also, many of the references of God ask questions that allude to Dickinson not understanding why God seemingly wasn't there for her in tough times or why God doesn't give her strength she needs to get through her day. In "I took my poem in my hand..." (often referred to as "59") Dickinson states, "Was it Goliath was too large,/Or I too small?" as she discusses her struggle to maintain power and control and to overcome a challenging time in her life.
Similarly, Dickinson also references death in my poems that not. This could be due to the fact that throughout her childhood many of her friends and family members died tragic deaths from various illnesses, some at young ages. In many of these poems she also touches on the afterlife and appears to question the existence of heaven or her ability to get to heaven. However, I wouldn't say she feels it doesn't exist; she merely seems as though she is unsure. She also appears to be struggling with the deaths of her loved ones as she questions mortality and what it means for us to die and what we'll leave behind.
Dickinson also specifically references the angel Gabriel in multiple poems. Gabriel was viewed as a guardian angel and a saint. He was also the angel who told Mary she'd give birth to baby Jesus. People in the Bible often feared Gabriel. In some of these poems she compares elements of nature, such as the robin in "The robin is a Gabriel..." (often referred to as "4") to Gabriel. This suggests that nature brings her closer to her God, just as Gabriel warned his people of Jesus' coming. One may also suggest that perhaps this is Dickinson's way of expressing her fear of God and uncertainty surrounding his presence just as people were uncertain of what Gabriel was telling them when he said Mary would give birth to Jesus. Gabriel is often associated with heaven as well, so for Dickinson to dismiss Gabriel (as she often does throughout her poems) is perhaps a way for her to dismiss or question the existence of heaven as well.
After reading a majority of these poems I also suspect that Dickinson suffered from many mental illnesses. I see a combination of anxiety (which makes sense given how secluded she chose to be), depression (especially through her frequent writings on death and mortality). Other critics believe she may have suffered from bipolar disorder and I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of her suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well. Dickinson seems to acknowledge that she is not mentally well in many of her poems, too. Poems such as "I felt a cleaving in my mind..." (often referred to as "106") express the idea that Dickinson feels her mind pulling her in multiple directions. This poem states, "I felt a Cleaving in my Mind - / As if my Brain had split - " which may loosely be a reference to the possibility of Dickinson suffering from bipolar disorder.
There were many poems in this collection I was less familiar with that really stood out to my favorite poem was probably "You cannot put a fire out..." (often referred to as "133"). I felt that this was one of Dickinson's most passionate poems where she expressed the idea of being inextinguishable. After focusing so much on death, depression, doom and gloom, this poem seemed much more uplifting and optimistic. I felt that Dickinson was saying that no matter what life threw at her, she would rise above it and overcome it. She was a burning fire that could never be put out. I thought this poem had such a strong and powerful message and I was surprised it wasn't taught in schools more often.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this collection of Emily Dickinson poems. There was only two things that annoyed me with this edition of Dickinson's poems:
I hated the formatting. The poems were separated by little squiggly line breaks but some poems carried on to another page and sometimes it was confusing to know whether or not a poem was continuing over or if it was an entirely new poem altogether.
They didn't use page numbers for the titles. Dickinson's work is typically referred to by number since she didn't give titles to her work. Not having these numbers on hands makes it difficult to reference.
Looking past these style decisions, this is still a solid collection of Dickinson's finest poems that contain much beauty, thought, and expression. These poems are wonderfully crafted and thought-provoking and highly enjoyable to read. 4 out of 5 stars.
October 11, 2022
Now I’ve never been a fan of poetry, but I got this since Dickinson is one of the classics and figured I’d dip a toe in. And holy shit this is some good poetry.
The sadness and grief in her poems but also the emphasis on love is beautiful. I started marking my favorites about halfway through and have so many annotations its absurd.
This line is one of my favorites if the favorites - “Was it Goliath - was too large - / Or was myself - too small?”
4/5, definitely better appreciate poetry but also… its poetry. Not too interesting in the grand scheme of things and some stuff just flew my mind real fast
The sadness and grief in her poems but also the emphasis on love is beautiful. I started marking my favorites about halfway through and have so many annotations its absurd.
This line is one of my favorites if the favorites - “Was it Goliath - was too large - / Or was myself - too small?”
4/5, definitely better appreciate poetry but also… its poetry. Not too interesting in the grand scheme of things and some stuff just flew my mind real fast
December 29, 2023
5/5 stars
In a wild coincidence of fate it took me exactly one year to read this poetry collection. I took my time with this and annotated, highlighted, reread my favorites. Poetry is such a gift. And I’m so glad I became more familiar with Emily Dickinson’s work. What a genius.
“‘Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all”
“Not knowing when the Dawn will come,
I open every Door,
Or has it Feathers, like a Bird,
Or Billows, like a Shore”
“Did life’s penurious length
Italicize its sweetness”
In a wild coincidence of fate it took me exactly one year to read this poetry collection. I took my time with this and annotated, highlighted, reread my favorites. Poetry is such a gift. And I’m so glad I became more familiar with Emily Dickinson’s work. What a genius.
“‘Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all”
“Not knowing when the Dawn will come,
I open every Door,
Or has it Feathers, like a Bird,
Or Billows, like a Shore”
“Did life’s penurious length
Italicize its sweetness”
May 2, 2022
I liked it. It's not really my style of poetry but it's good poetry nonetheless.
December 6, 2022
Absolutely love Emily dickinson so reading her poems on my birthday (today) is absolutely amazing! I don’t think these are all of her poems so I hope to read all of them.
December 10, 2022
The poetry is nice, this particular edition a bit lacking in context for the poems for my taste.
January 30, 2023
How could I not love Emily Dickinson’s Poetry? ❤️
April 15, 2023
I have a great affinity for Dickinson for one main reason: like her, I love the em dash—it’s my favorite piece of punctuation—and I use it all the time.
Thought-provoking poetry.
Thought-provoking poetry.
May 15, 2023
This was not my favorite poetry book at all. Don’t get me wrong I love Emily Dickinson, but the way this poetry book was laid out was not my favorite reading style at all.
Read
August 13, 2023I gotta admit I listened to the audiobook version of the poems two weeks ago and I don’t remember what I thought of it...I didn’t dislike it, though!
October 24, 2023
The rating is for the quality of the book print, just stock photos that would make Emily furious I think.
December 29, 2023
2.5 stars
November 1, 2024
I love Emily Dickinson's poetry. It flows beautifully. Visually appealing. So full of emotions, like love. It's written beautifully and encompasses English speech during that era.
June 14, 2025
i love how this is the fourth books of her poems that i’m reading and i’m always rediscovering new poems
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews