Emily Dickinson A Biography

Subjects:

• Literature » Literature (General)
• History » American History -- Nineteenth Century

Reviews:

• [P]rovides an accessible account of the poet's life and the major influences on her work ... a clearly written and admiring appraisal of the poet's life, with a conscientious attention to detail that ensures Dickinson becomes a vivid presence in the mind of the attentive reader. It is a valuable reference work for students new to Dickinson and Dickinson studies, and deserves a place on the relevant recommended reading lists.
  —Journal of American Studies 2005
• Part of a series designed for high school students and public libraries, Kirk's slim but substantive volume would also serve undergraduates and the general reader wanting an up-to-date overview of Dickinson scholarship....Reader friendly, this volume includes a chronology of the poet's life set among historical and cultural events (1620-2004).
  —Emily Dickinson International Society Bulletin November/December 2004

• Endorsement From Liz Rosenberg
  Professor of English & Creative Writing, Binghamton University: This biography is ground-breaking in so many wonderful ways--it presents a version of Dickinson that is neither the simpering old maid in white, nor the lunatic recluse, nor the untroubled woman of perfect health. It is a human portrait, drawing on new and never-released materials, as well as the best from all other materials. Kirk presents a balanced, thoughtful and thought-provoking picture of a dedicated female artist, who lived in many ways at the very heart of the cultured world, and in other ways in a world of her own determined devising. Young adults will appreciate the lively stories and prose, the illuminating details of a life (her sloppy and unsigned cross-stitchery, her skillful bread-baking, which chores she liked and which she hated; her friendships, relations, possible and probable loves). Adult admirers of Dickinson's work will find this a treasure trove as well. It is an altogether new thing: a full and fair biography of Emily Dickinson for young adult readers.
• Endorsement From Margaret H. Freeman
  Emerita Professor of English at Los Angeles Valley College
  Founding President of the Emily Dickinson International Society: Connie Ann Kirk's biography of the poet Emily Dickinson is a scholarly achievement, based on contemporary scholarship and meticulous in its accuracy. Treading carefully and sensitively among the many different views of the poet, Dr. Kirk paints a generous and lively picture of Emily Dickinson, her life, her work, her family and friends that offsets false mythologies. She provides fascinating new insights from her own research. Especially noteworthy is the scope of coverage Dr. Kirk gives to the story of the poet's life, the editing of the manuscripts, and the record of the poetry's subsequent reception and influence, all within a manageable and readable length. The book is a welcome and important addition to existing publications on the poet.

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Ancestry, Early Life, and Family
• Education, Religion, and Early Friendships
• "For Occupation -This -": The Poet at Home
• "Her Travels Daily Be": Traveling Near and Far
• A Poets Reading
• The "Flood" Years and the Civil War
• To Print or Publish?
• Later Years, Last Days
• The Fluid Text and the Problem of Editing
• Mysteries and Controversies
• "An Amethyst Remembrance": Dickinson's Reception and Legacy
• Appendix A: Chronology and Historical Context Timeline
• Appendix B: Family Tree
• Appendix C: List of Poems Published in the Poet's Lifetime
• Appendix D: Index of First Lines of Emily Dickinson Poems
• Appendix E: Selected Reading of Emily Dickinson
• Appendix F: Important Places and Holdings in Dickinson Studies
• Bibliography

PDF Catalogs:

Sale Catalog 2008.pdf