Emily Dickinson, who regarded a letter as "a joy of Earth," was herself a gifted epistolary artist―cryptic and allusive in style, dazzling in verbal effects, and sensitively attuned to the recipients of her many letters. In this volume, distinguished literary scholars focus intensively on Dickinson's letter-writing and what her letters reveal about her poetics, her personal associations, and her self-awareness as a writer.

Although Dickinson's letters have provided invaluable perspective for biographers and lovers of poetry since Mabel Loomis Todd published the first selection in 1894, today's scholarly climate opens potential for fresh insights drawn from new theoretical approaches, informed cultural contextualizations, and rigorous examination of manuscript evidence. Essays in this collection explore ways that Emily Dickinson adapted nineteenth-century epistolary conventions of women's culture, as well as how she directed her writing to particular readers, providing subtly tactful guidance to ways of approaching her poetics.

Close examination of her letters reveals the conscious artistry of Dickinson's writing, from her auditory effects to her experiments with form and tone. Her well-known correspondences with Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Susan Dickinson, Helen Hunt Jackson, and Otis Phillips Lord are examined here, but so too are previously neglected family communications with her aunt Kate Sweetser and cousin Eugenia Montague. Contributors find in these various letters evidence of Dickinson's enthusiastic participation in a sort of epistolary book club involving multiple friends, as well as her loving attentiveness to individuals in times of both suffering and joy. These inquiries highlight her thoughts on love, marriage, gender roles, art, and death, while unraveling mysteries ranging from legal discourse to Etruscan smiles.

In addition to a foreword by Marietta Messmer, the volume includes essays by Paul Crumbley, Karen Dandurand, Jane Donahue Eberwein, Judith Farr, James Guthrie, Ellen Louise Hart, Eleanor Heginbotham, Cindy MacKenzie, Martha Nell Smith, and Stephanie Tingley.

About the Author

Jane Donahue Eberwein is author of Dickinson: Strategies of Limitation and editor of An Emily Dickinson Encyclopedia.

Cindy MacKenzie is author of A Concordance to the Letters of Emily Dickinson and coeditor of Wider than the Sky: Essays and Meditations on the Healing Power of Emily Dickinson

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Independent Bookstores since 1971.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Association Member

Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

Powell's Bookstores Chicago, ABAA
1501 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

All items subject to prior sale. No questions asked refunds within 30 days. For shipping rates, click "Shipping: Rates & Speed" above. Powells Bookstore Inc., 1501 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637; catorders@powellschicago.com; 773-955-7780. VAT: N/A.

Shipping Terms

Orders ship within 2 business days. Domestic standard orders shipped via
USPS Media Mail; Domestic Expedited orders shipped via FedEx or UPS
Ground. All International orders shipped via courier, typically arriving
within 7-21 business days. Expedited and Standard International rates are the
same.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 14 business days	5 to 14 business days
First item	US$ 7.50	US$ 7.50

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.