11 Captivating Insights into Emily Dickinson's Life and Legacy

Emily Dickinson spent almost her whole life in Amherst, Massachusetts. She penned countless poems and letters delving into topics like mortality, spirituality, feelings, and reality. As she aged, she grew increasingly secluded and unconventional, leaving many aspects of her life shrouded in mystery. Discover 11 lesser-known facts about Dickinson’s life and literary contributions.

1. Emily Dickinson often defied conventional punctuation rules.

Dickinson’s method of crafting poetry was far from ordinary. Her original manuscripts show she frequently used dashes of different lengths and directions (both horizontal and vertical). However, early editors standardized her work, removing these distinctive marks and publishing her poems without her original style. Scholars continue to discuss how Dickinson’s unconventional punctuation influenced the rhythm and deeper meanings of her poetry. To explore images of her original manuscripts, complete with her signature dashes, visit the Emily Dickinson Archive.

2. Dickinson defied norms.

Beyond her unconventional punctuation, Dickinson also challenged religious norms and societal expectations. While she attended church regularly until her thirties, she identified as a pagan and often wrote about the superiority of science over religion. Dickinson remained unmarried, had no children, and avoided most face-to-face social interactions, choosing instead to correspond with her friends through letters.

3. Dickinson never saw her name in print as an author.

Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Dickinson’s friend and mentor, admired her creativity and skill but advised against publishing her work, likely believing the public wouldn’t appreciate or comprehend her brilliance. From 1850 to 1878, 10 of her poems and one letter appeared in newspapers and journals, but none were published with her consent or under her name. Although Dickinson may have attempted to publish her work—such as when she sent four poems to Thomas Niles, the editor of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, in 1883—she primarily shared her poems with close friends and assembled them into handmade booklets. The first collection of her poetry was published posthumously in 1890, four years after her death.

4. Dickinson experienced vision issues in her thirties.

In 1863, Dickinson started experiencing eye problems. Bright light caused her discomfort, and reading or writing became painful. The following year, she consulted Dr. Henry Willard Williams, a renowned Boston ophthalmologist. While his exact diagnosis remains unknown, historians believe she may have had iritis, an inflammation of the eye. During her treatment, she avoided reading, wrote only in pencil, and stayed in low-light conditions. By 1865, her eye issues had resolved.

5. Dickinson spent her entire life close to her family.

Despite her seclusion in adulthood, Dickinson remained deeply connected to her siblings. Her brother, Austin, along with his wife and three children, resided next door at The Evergreens. Dickinson shared a strong bond with her sister-in-law, Susan, frequently corresponding through letters. Her sister, Lavinia, who also never married, lived with her in the Dickinson family home.

6. The man Dickinson loved remains an enigma.

Though Dickinson never married, her romantic life was far from dull. In three “Master Letters,” penned between 1858 and 1862, she writes to “Master,” an unidentified man she deeply loved. Scholars have theorized that Master could have been her mentor, a newspaper editor, a reverend, a student from Amherst, a divine figure, or even an imaginary inspiration. Years later, Dickinson began a relationship with Judge Otis Lord, a widowed acquaintance of her father. Lord proposed to her in 1883, received no definitive response, and passed away in 1884.

7. Dickinson might have struggled with intense anxiety.

Historians remain uncertain about why Dickinson retreated from society in her early adulthood. Speculations about her seclusion range from severe anxiety and epilepsy to a desire to dedicate herself entirely to her poetry. In 1855, Dickinson’s mother suffered a bout of deep depression, and in an 1862 letter, Dickinson mentioned experiencing “a terror” she couldn’t share with anyone. Truly mysterious.

8. The belief that Dickinson exclusively wore white is a myth.

Dickinson’s reclusive lifestyle fueled many legends about her personality and quirks. Before her death, she often wore white and instructed her family to bury her in a white robe and coffin. However, the claim that she only wore white is untrue. She once referenced owning a brown dress in a letter, and photographs depict her in dark attire. For years, the Amherst Historical Society and Emily Dickinson Museum have exhibited her famous white dress, along with a replica.

9. Her brother’s lover was responsible for editing and publishing her poetry.

In 1883, Austin Dickinson began an affair with Mabel Loomis Todd, a writer. Todd and Emily Dickinson corresponded through letters but never met face-to-face. After Dickinson’s death, her sister Lavinia enlisted Todd’s help to prepare her poems for publication. Todd collaborated with Thomas Higginson to edit and publish Dickinson’s work, creating tension among Austin, Lavinia, and Susan Dickinson. Following the release of the first volume in 1890, Todd and Higginson published a second collection the next year. Todd also wrote articles, delivered lectures, and later edited Dickinson’s letters and a third volume of her poetry.

10. Dickinson was an avid gardener.

Dickinson was a passionate gardener throughout her life. On her family’s estate, she cultivated hundreds of flowers, grew vegetables, and tended to apple, cherry, and pear trees. She also managed the family greenhouse, which housed jasmine, gardenias, carnations, and ferns, often referencing plants in her poetry. Recently, the Emily Dickinson Museum, situated on the Dickinson property, undertook a restoration of her garden and greenhouse. Archaeologists replanted apple and pear trees and are searching for 1800s-era seeds to use in future plantings.

11. Dickinson’s niece inscribed “called back” on her tombstone.

On May 15, 1886, Dickinson passed away at her Amherst home due to kidney disease or, as some modern scholars propose, complications from severe hypertension. Her original tombstone in Amherst’s West Cemetery bore only her initials, E.E.D. (Emily Elizabeth Dickinson). Later, her niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, replaced it with a new headstone featuring the poet’s full name, birth and death dates, and the phrase “Called Back,” inspired by Hugh Conway’s 1880 novel of the same title, which Dickinson loved. In her final letter to her cousins, Dickinson simply wrote, “Called Back.”