Emily DICKINSON IN PARIS
Discover the unique life of Emily Dickinson and her timeless poetry on this website! Through her words, we can live in Emily's sensitive and expansive world and get a taste of the beauty she saw. Everyday you'll catch yourself at least once thinking, "that's so Emily", because she is such a legendary figure whose influence continues even to 2024! This space is for Emily to have her moment (in Paris!), and for us to analyize her work through a loving lens.
December 10th 1830
Emily is born
Born as the second child to a middle class family, Emily's life began humbly and with great purpose.1840-1847
Emily goes to school
During these formative years, she makes many friends, develops a sense of her womanhood, and writes passionately and consistently.1851
Emily writes to Sue
The first recorded text of Emily to Sue begins what would be known as a great and all consuming love affair.1858
Emily begins collecting poems
For the first time, Emily creates a small booklet of her poetry, giving a glimpse of what her work would one day become.1860
Emily becomes reclusive
Around the start of the Civil war Emily becomes increasingly reclusive. Oftentimes, she wouldn't leave her bedroom or even verbally communicate with her own family.1864
Emily is published
Between February and March of 1864, Emily was published 5 times by 3 different publishers.1886
Emily dies
After battles with both known and unknown illnesses, Emily passes away peacefully in her bedroom.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A friend of Emily
The 19th-century American poet Ralph "Waldo" Emerson was a distinguished gentleman whose work- lightly spun, yet heavy in subject matter made him an inspiration for Emily. Born in 1803 to a preacher father, religion was always in Emerson’s life. In 1817, he attended Harvard and eventually went on to train for the priesthood in 1835. Inspired by his aunt and her interest in connecting piety, nature, and expansion of the mind- these ideas guided his work, the amalgamation of which was somewhat unusual for his time. Unconventional like Emily, he aimed to find higher truths through poetry and nature. Emerson’s work, like Emily’s, was filled with ambiguous themes of rejection of religion and faith in oneself rather than in God. Emerson and Emily “spoke” to each other through their poems, using a shared vocabulary and understanding of their poetic prowess. They understood that it was the poet's job to reveal and that they did. During a trip to Paris, while at Jardin de Planets, he had an epiphany that he was one with nature. Emerson even referred to himself as a centipede, saying, “strange sympathies move me.” Considering himself a naturalist, he believed that nature is within us in all its forms. Walt Whitman once said, “I was simmering, simmering, simmering. Emerson brought me to a boil.”