Upon the first publication of her poems posthumously in 1890, Emily Dickinson became one of the preeminent voices of American poetry. Despite the questionable edits made by Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Higginson that strove to render her work in more conventional terms, Dickinson’s rebellious spirit captured audiences. Perhaps those on the forefront of the rapidly moving 1890s appreciated her vigor. Her resistance to tradition, plus her unique stance in observing the world around her, has caused her continued renown.

Dickinson, along with Walt Whitman—contemporaries who never met—had unique voices that broke with the traditional establishment, those poets who used strict rhyme, meter, form, and predictable subject matter. Both iconoclasts embraced more intimate subject matter, but while Whitman’s style was sprawling and inclusive, Dickinson’s was compact and revolutionary.

Writing in common meter rather than iambic pentameter, Dickinson concentrated on precise observations of the world around her, using detailed images of everyday events and objects in a quick cadence. Witty and subversive, she often verged on dissent. She was far more interested in the personal struggle than religious surety or convenient salvation. Distinctly elliptical, she would often render the truth through

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