A Study Of Dickinson’s Poetry From The Perspective Of Heidegger’s Environmental Ethics

As one of the most influential poets in the 19 th century,Emily Dickinson（1830-1886）wrote more than 1700 poems in her life.More than 500 of those poems are related to nature,which imply profound ecological philosophy and demonstrate Dickinson’s concern and discussion on the ecological environment.Guided by Martin Heidegger’s environmental ethics,which include,but not limited to some of the core conceptions — “Dasein”,“Physis” and “Dwelling Poetically upon the Earth”,this thesis focuses on the theme of the relationships between man and nature in Dickinson’s poetry.Three primary research questions about Dickinson’s poetry are explored in the thesis based on Heidegger’s theoretical approach:（1）how man exists in nature in Dickinson’s poetry;（2）what is the role of nature in Dickinson’s poetry;（3）what is the Dickinson’s suggestion in dealing with the relationships between man and nature.This thesis is divided into six chapters.Chapter one is the introduction of Emily Dickinson and her poem,and the analysis of relevant research at home and abroad,which brings the research significance and the framework of this thesis.Chapter two serves as the introduction of the conception of environmental ethics and the relevant research and the illustration of Heidegger’s environmental ethics.Chapter three to five are the core of the thesis,and each chapter answers one of the three questions raised in chapter one: chapter three is designed to discuss the existence of man in nature in Dickinson’s poems,and reveals the complex relationships between man and nature:close but far;chapter four deals with the thinking of what is nature in Dickinson’s poetry.The characteristics self-emerging and self-closing embedded in nature are revealed in Dickinson’s poetry;chapter five is about the further discussion of Dickinson’s ecological poetics,which includes the integration of the poet into nature through language and poetry,and the poet’s desire and expectation to dwell upon the earth poetically.Finally,the author comes to the conclusion that man and nature are inseparable.Finally,the thesis reveals the environmental ethics embedded in Dickinson’s poetry,such as being close to nature,respecting nature,dwelling poetically upon the earth etc.Although Dickinson and Heidegger live in different ages,Dickinson expresses some similar ideas with Heidegger’s ecological philosophy.In addition,Dickinson is not only good at poetry creation,but also develops her own ecological poetics in the involvement with poetry and nature,which conveys the appealing of the sense of responsibility and humanistic care of dwelling poetically upon the earth and protecting nature.Therefore,the exploration of environmental ethics in Dickinson’s poem is conducive to further understanding Dickinson’s way of getting along with nature.Furthermore,it’s also favorable to the expansion of ecological poetics and ecological civilization construction today.