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Letters from Emily Dickinson: 'Will you be my preceptor?'
—Curriculum Unit Overview—
Introduction
In 1862, Emily Dickinson, one of the most innovative poets of the 19th century,
ventured a letter to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, an editor, writer, and longtime
contributor to the Atlantic Monthly who would become her long-time correspondent
and mentor. She asked, "Are you too deeply occupied to say if my verse is alive?"
Long perceived as a recluse who wrote purely in isolation, Dickinson in reality
maintained many dynamic correspondences throughout her lifetime and specifically
sought out dialogues on her poetry. These correspondences—both professional
and private—reveal a poet keenly aware of the interdependent relationship
between poet and reader.
Similarly, Dickinson's letters expose a poet fully engaged in the process of crafting a persona. In another note to Higginson in the first year of their correspondence, Dickinson wrote, "When I state myself, as the representative of the verse, it does not mean me, but a supposed person." For students of writing, who often struggle to develop a distinctive voice, and then to modify that voice for different audiences, Dickinson's dialogues offer an instructive model. Ultimately, reading Emily Dickinson's letters alongside her poems helps students to better appreciate a remarkable voice in American literature, grasp how Dickinson perceived herself and her poetry, and-perhaps most relevant to their own endeavors—consider the ways in which a writer constructs a "supposed person."
In this curriculum unit, students will explore Dickinson's poetry as well
as her letters to Higginson and her sister-in-law Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson.
They will work individually and in groups to reflect on Dickinson's views and
the process by which she writes; assume the role of a critic/correspondent and
analyze Dickinson's poetry, specifically noting the effectiveness of her persona;
and, finally, emulate her writing style while, at the same time, synthesizing
what they've learned about poetic voice in a poetry-writing exercise on "There's
a certain Slant of light."
Guiding Questions
- How does Emily Dickinson perceive herself as a poet, especially as reflected
by her correspondences with Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Susan Huntington
Gilbert Dickinson?
- In what ways does this perception manifest itself in her poetry?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to
- Recognize Emily Dickinson's poetic style
- Engage in textual analysis and critical thinking
- Reflect upon the concept of artistic persona and the creative process
- Adjust their writing style to different purposes
- Use imaginative writing techniques
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
- For Lesson
One, download the pdf worksheet, Emily
Says, and cut out each individual quotation for distribution to student
groups.
- For Lesson
Three, download and copy the pdf worksheet, Emulate
Emily.
- Re-read a number of Dickinson's poems to reacquaint yourself with her unique
style. The poems used in this lesson are "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers"
(216, 1859 and 1861 version), "They shut me up in Prose-" (613), "I dwell
in Possibility-" (657), "There's a certain Slant of light" (258). More Dickinson
poems are available at the Academy of American
Poets or the American
Verse Project. Note Dickinson's use of metaphors to express her ideas
and her rejection of grammatical conventions, and her dependence on poetry
to achieve understanding.
- Since this lesson addresses Dickinson's persona, it is also helpful to review
a few essays on how Dickinson is perceived today. You may want to read the
Dickinson biography on the EDSITEment reviewed website Academy
of American Poets, and explore a few of the pieces, specifically Sandra
Gilbert's essay, at Titanic
Operas, Folio 1, available on the Dickinson
Electronic Archives through the Academy
of American Poets site. Central to this lesson is the well-known myth
of Emily Dickinson as a ghost-like figure, dressed entirely in white and confined
to her father's home in Amherst. Conversely, it's significant to note the
extent of Dickinson's formal education and the value she placed on literature.
Dickinson was well-versed in the poetry and prose of the 19th century, having
read and appreciated, among others, the Brontës, Elizabeth Barrett Browning,
Thomas Carlyle, and George Eliot. As you read the biographies, pay attention
to disparate views. While some scholarship portrays Dickinson as a romantic,
heartsick figure (i.e., as someone weak who was acted upon), more recent feminist
readings tend to view her as deeply aware of the image she actively created
of herself.
- Read at least pages 444 through 447 of Emily
Dickinson's Letters, Thomas Wentworth Higginson's article for the
October 1891 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, at the EDSITEment reviewed
American Memory Project. Higginson excerpts
many of Dickinson's letters to him in this piece. Consider the ways in which
Dickinson simultaneously seeks Higginson's input and resists his recommendations.
Also, note her particular writing style and think about her views on poetry.
Her letters suggest that, for her, writing poetry was instinctive, but they
also reveal that she understood her writing in the context of other literary
works. (As you read this piece, know that Higginson corrected, so to speak,
Dickinson's grammar when he published her letters. For a better look at her
unadulterated style, see the manuscripts in the Dickinson
Electronic Archives, discussed below.)
- In his essay, Higginson writes, "Even her letters to me show her mainly
on her exaltee side; and should a volume of her correspondence ever be printed,
it is very desirable that it should contain some of her letters to friends
of closer and more familiar intimacy." For a glimpse of this intimacy, explore
the "Emily
Dickinson Writing a Poem" site, part of the Dickinson Electronic Archives,
which is available through the EDSITEment reviewed Academy
of American Poets. Read the "Introduction," the letters between Dickinson
and her sister-in-law Susan, and the manuscript excerpts. Pay particular attention
to how Sue comments on Dickinson's poetry, how Dickinson in turn responds
to Sue's suggestions, and how she expresses an awareness of herself as a poet
writing for a greater audience. Think about how this exchange is more personal
than the one between Dickinson and Higginson.
Curriculum Unit Assessment
Ask students to submit a portfolio of their work, including their essays, their
letter, their poem, and their worksheet with their poem critique. Assess them
based on the rubric below, granting point values as preferred.
- Student worked with his or her group to decipher Emily Dickinson's writing.
- Student contributed thoughtfully to class discussion.
- Poetry analysis included awareness of word choice, image, and meter.
- Writing samples (letter, poem, and essays) used voice appropriate to form.
- Emulated poem indicated an understanding of Dickinson's style.
- Emulated poem effectively described a personal experience.
- Poem critique demonstrated an understanding of the role of a constructive
critic, especially as presented in class discussion.
- Essay demonstrated an understanding of Dickinson's poetic style.
- Essay included an analysis of the student's own poem.
- Essay reflected on the poetry-writing process.
Unit Lessons:
Selected EDSITEment Websites
- American Memory Project
[http://memory.loc.gov]
- "Emily
Dickinson's Letters"
[http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?
coll=moa&root=/moa/atla/atla0068/&tif=
00450.TIF&view=50&frames=1] Features page images from the original article
by Thomas Wentworth Higginson on his correspondence with Emily Dickinson,
as published in the October 1891 edition of The Atlantic Monthly
- Dickinson Electronic
Archives
[http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/dickinson/]
- American Verse Project
[http://www.hti.umich.edu/a/amverse/] to be used for the edited text of Dickinson's
poems.
- Academy of American Poets
[http://www.poets.org]
- Emily
Dickinson
[http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?45442B7C000C07000F] Provides a biography
of the poet, selected poems, and links to additional Web resources.
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