Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "Emily Dickinson" offers a nuanced portrait of the 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson, defying conventional representations while simultaneously embracing them. Pastan, a contemporary American poet known for her nuanced explorations of domestic life, femininity, and the human condition, uses Dickinson as a lens to explore the often complex relationship between a poet's life and work.

The poem commences with the all-too-familiar image of Dickinson: "We think of her hidden in a white dress / among the folded linens and sachets." Here, Dickinson is veiled in her domestic sphere, clothed in her famous white dress, a symbol of purity and perhaps emotional distance. This beginning anchors us in the well-established perceptions of Dickinson as a reclusive woman, "hidden" among domestic artifacts like linens and sachets. Yet even as Pastan pays homage to the clichéd understanding of Dickinson, she prepares us for a revision.

"Sending jellies and notes with no address / to all the wondering Amherst neighbors" continues the depiction of Dickinson as a woman deeply embedded in the mores of her time, yet the notes "with no address" subtly point to her enigmatic nature. The juxtaposition of "jellies and notes" is striking. On one hand, she participates in expected feminine roles; on the other, she sends out fragments of her soul to an unnamed recipient, which could be anyone or no one-much like her poetry.

Described as "Eccentric as New England weather," Pastan captures Dickinson's multifaceted personality. She is both "stinging" and "gentle," capable of emotional depths and heights that blew "two half-imagined lovers off." This line intriguingly alludes to Dickinson's relationships, which remain a subject of scholarly debate. Were they figments of her imagination? Were they real but disappointing? The poem leaves the question open-ended, much like Dickinson's own life.

Yet, the real pivot comes in the lines: "Yet legend won't explain the sheer sanity / of vision, the serious mischief / of language, the economy of pain." Here, Pastan pays homage to the genius of Dickinson, steering the focus away from the reclusive legend and onto the mastery of her craft. These lines could serve as a succinct critique of Dickinson's poetic style-sanely visionary, playfully serious, and economical in its emotional scope.

Pastan's structure is simple, a straightforward free verse that allows for fluidity in reading, but this belies the complexity of what she tackles. The "sheer sanity of vision" is both an analysis and a compliment, an acknowledgment of the stark clarity with which Dickinson saw and presented the world around her.

In summary, Linda Pastan's "Emily Dickinson" not only revises our understanding of a woman who has been extensively mythologized but also brings us face to face with the immutable reality of Dickinson's poetic genius. Pastan serves up an Emily Dickinson for the modern reader-one whose complexities are not confined to her eccentricities but are intricately tied to her undeniable mastery of verse. This poem stands as an ode to Dickinson's legacy while shedding light on the limitations of understanding someone solely through the lens of societal expectations and myths.

Poem Snippet:

Yet legend won't explain the sheer sanity

of vision, the serious mischief

of language, the economy of pain.

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