On The Modernity Of Emily Dickinson's Poems

On the basis of poetic texts, this paper attempts to discuss the modernity of Dickinson's poems from two perspectives: theme and technique. Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems in her life, which is very rare in the poetic history of America, even of the world. She made great contribution to the flourish and development of the world literature. Dickinson's poetry and her poetic strategies inspired many poets after her, especially the modernistic poets around the twentieth century, such as the imagists Ezra Pound, Amy Lowell and William Carlos Williams. Along with Walt Witman, Dickinson is regarded as the precursor of American modernistic poetry. Her unconventionally in writing, keen perception of outward and inward experiences and her metaphysical thought made her poems fresh and original. From the perspective of the theme of her poetry, Dickinson creates a "self of her soul, that is, a true self, who is the embodiment of her humanistic thought in her poetry. Different from the traditional male or female, this "self is an intelligent, ambitious and independent self, an ideal self who Dickinson yearns to be in her whole life. In the world of her poetry, Dickinson tries her best to seek and maintain the truthfulness of her mind. Richard B. Sewall calls her "the great psychological realist of America".1 From the perspective of Dickinson's poetic style and strategies, the author of this thesis begins her discussion with Dickinson's poetic theories, and then analyses the language, imagery and idiosyncratic grammar, these modernistic tendencies in her poetry.Chapter one discusses the "Landscape" of the soul. Firstly, the author of this thesis discusses the reflection of the poet's outward experience on her soul, that is, her perception toward nature. Then, the author continues to discuss the richness and complexity of the poet's inner experiences. Dickinson adopts the writing skills of the Metaphysical Poets of Britain in the seventeenth century. She is good at delineating all kinds of psychologies of human, for example, ecstasy and despair, two extreme psychologies of human. These short lyrics, full of thought and wit, tend to be philosophical poems.Chapter two is devoted to a study of Dickinson's rebellious "self. The image of the self in rebellion is achieved from four perspectives: the imaginatively comparison between the heavenly life and the earthly life; the skepticism of the God's existence; "profanity" of God; injustice of God in the Bible. Through the creation of this image, the poet tries to seek self-independence both in body and in soul.Chapter three discusses Dickinson's poetic "self through the study of her views on poet and poetry, her individualistic modernistic theories of poetry.Chapter four focuses on the study of the delicate psychology of the "self in love through her understanding and pursuit of love. In reality, Dickinson, who suffers an unfruitful love in her life, "putting love away", devotes all herself to the cause of poetry she loves and composes a song of love in her poetic kingdom.On the basis of the above discussion, Emily Dickinson is worthy to be a great precursor of modernism.