Emily Dickinson

This passage discusses the famous female poet, Emily Dickinson.

Lexile Level: 460L

Categories: People & Places Classics & Literature

Emily Dickinson was an American poet. She lived from December 10, 1830 to May 15, 1886. She was born and lived in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was not famous in her lifetime. She was very private. Not much is known about her. She was one of three children. Her father was a lawyer. Before she turned 30, she stopped leaving her father's house at all. She wrote over 1,700 poems. But only seven of them were published during her life. Those were published anonymously. After she died, her sister discovered her poetry in a dresser. The first volumes of her poetry were published in the 1890s. But serious editions of her work did not appear until much later in the 1950s. Her writing style was unique. She wrote about love and spirituality. She used bold images and subtle wit. Now she is considered one of the most important poets of the nineteenth century.