An Analysis Of Defamiliarised Features In Dickinson's Poetry

The thesis attempts to study the poetic art of Emily Dickinson's poetry with the theory of defamiliarisation raised by Victor Shklovsky. Emily Dickinson's poetry impresses readers as fresh and innovative. It has a strong hold on readers with its unique features, which can be analyzed in terms of theory of defamiliarisation. This theory involves prolonged perception process and arousal of attention. Based on this theory, the paper reviews the defamiliarised writing techniques and viewpoints of Emily Dickinson's poetry. Besides, combined with some historical analysis, the deep reasons for such defamiliarised features are explored. The answer lies in her defamiliarised life experience.This thesis consists of four chapters.Chapter One explores some former studies on Emily Dickinson related to the subject of this paper. Based on previous researches, this thesis attempts to put Emily Dickinson into a new perspective, which aims at an innovative conclusion.Chapter Two is devoted to the analysis of her defamiliarised writing techniques, which lie in four aspects-unconventional modifiers and images, contradictions between literal meanings and deeper themes, and contrasts between the beginning and ending parts. The objects chosen for analysis are mainly restrained on the religious and nature topics, for they typically represent Emily Dickinson's style.Chapter Three reviews Emily Dickinson's defamiliarised viewpoints on death and immortality. Compared with common conviction, she is in awe of death, and relates death to immortality. However, her idea of immortality is invariably defamiliarised from that of Christian belief. Although possessing a good knowledge of biblical teachings, she is full of uncertainty about her own sharing of immortality. Some poems review anxiety and bitterness for her isolation from eternity. Then she gives up conventional faith, and creates a heaven of her own.Chapter Four reviews some deeper reasons for the defamiliarised features in her writing techniques and viewpoints. Emily Dickinson's childhood leaves a shadow, which cultivates her later reclusion, and wild concentration on writing and imagination. Moreover, her religious experience nurtures an inner debate with the authority and even with herself. The unconventional life experience accounts for her defamiliarised features of poetry.The last part is the conclusion. Firstly, it sums up the theory of defamiliarisation, demonstrating that it can be further developed by combining historical analysis. Secondly, it gives an overall examination on the defamiliarised poetic features of Emily Dickinson, and how the effects are achieved. Finally, it mentions some inspirations from the research and provides some suggestions for further study.