Emily Dickinson (1830-86) is known for her bold original verse, which stands out for its epigrammatic compression, haunting personal voice, and enigmatic brilliance.
Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most of her friendships were based entirely upon correspondence.
Although Dickinson was a prolific writer, her only publications during her lifetime were one letter and 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems.[4] The poems published then were usually edited significantly to fit conventional poetic rules. Her poems were unique for her era; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme**
as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.[5] Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality (2 recurring topics in letters to her friends), aesthetics, society, nature, and spirituality.
