Contents
中文摘要…………………………………………………………………….……… i
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….....ii
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………..….…iii
Introduction…………………………………………………………………….……1
Ⅰ.Wide Use of Images and Metaphors …………………………………….……...3
A. Blending the Homely with the Exalted, the Trivial with the Precious4
B. Combining the Concrete with the Abstract…………………………………....6
Ⅱ. Representative Images and Symbols………………………………………….......8
A. Persona’s Interpretation of the Bee and the Rose……………………8
B. “Circumference” Given in a Sense of a Broad Grass……………………..9
Ⅲ.Gothic atmosphere…………………………………………….……….……..….16
A. Dickinson’s Techniques to Create Gothic Atmosphere……….………....17
B.Dickinson’s Gothic Images ………………………………………….....18
Conclusion………………………………………………….………………….…..…21
Notes…………………………………………………………………………….…....23
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………..….…..25
Images and Gothic Atmosphere in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry
Abstract
Emily Dickinson,a recluse whose poetry was not published until after her death, wrote altogether 1,775 poems of startling originality and freshness. Since the complete edition of her poems was published in 1955, Emily Dickinson, with her poetry, has attracted more and more attention from the common readers as well as the literary critics. Emily Dickinson is considered one of the most original 19th Century American poets. She is noted for her unconventional broken rhyming meter and use of dashes and random capitalisation as well as her creative use of metaphor and overall innovative style.
She was a deeply sensitive woman who questioned the puritanical background of her Calvinist family and soulfully explored her own spirituality, often in poignant, deeply personal poetry. Her poetry is sometimes brooding and sometimes joyous and celebratory. Her sophistication and profound intellect has been lauded by laymen and scholars alike and influenced many other authors and poets into the 21st Century.
She is now widely regarded as one of the greatest and the most original poets in American history. This thesis attempts to explore the images and Gothic atmosphere, in which metaphors and symbols are frequently employed, so as to appreciate Dickinson’s poetry and aesthetic view.