We have learned quite a bit about Emily and the questioning that she would do about the world around her. It is almost impossible to talk about Emily and her poetry without exploring the religion in her life and the questions that she asked about it. Emily was never one to take something as the truth just because it was handed to her. She'd take it, turn it over and over, open it, break it down to small pieces, reassemble it, and then possibly make a decision. Emily never seemed to come to a conclusion on most concepts in her life. Until her death, Emily was writing, thinking, and questioning everything in her circuit.
Emily's was born into a family of Calvinists and was not at all unfamiliar with the Christian mindset. She grew up in church and many of her poems have grand religious imagery in them. Her family, along with attending church weekly would have family services in the house. Her father was friends with many ministers and leaders of the church, who would often visit the Dickinson household. It is clear that she knew everything that a Calvinist woman should, and it is also clear that she didn't believe everything a Calvinist woman should. Through her poetry and letters, we can clearly see the conflict that Emily went through in her belief system. She spent her whole life thinking about, writing about, and seeking the truth of Christianity and God. It is clear that she didn't fully agree with everything in the Calvinist church, as she stopped attending services in the later years of her life. Many critics take this as a sign that she ultimately gave up on religion, however, she does continue to write about religion and her questions long after that time.
One year that is pointed to as formative in Emily's thinking about the church was her time at Mt. Holyoke College. This was a religious women-only college, and Emily was attending during a time of religious revival in the northeast. After the required chapels each day, there would be an alter call and numerous women would go to the alter and give or regive their lives to Christ. During her year there, Emily never went to the alter. She felt like her faith was hers and was not something to publicly display. However, this decision placed Emily on the outside of the norm, seemingly chastised by others there. Emily was always homesick and looked forward to going home where she could express herself properly. This experience may have been a jumpstart to her thinking about religion.
Let's take some time to dive into some of the poems about religion and to help us understand the questions that Emily had.
One of the main questions had to do with eternity, immortality, and death. This is always a question when thinking about God. Is there an afterlife? What happens when I die? Many of Emily's religious poems also fall into the context of her death poems. We're going to look at two poems, one showing the believing side, and one showing the unbelieving side, but both within the context of death.
Poem 1551:
Those—dying then,
Knew where they went—
They went to God's Right Hand.
That Hand is amputated now
And God cannot be found—
The abdication of Belief
Makes the Behavior small—
Better an ignis fatuus
Than no illume at all—
This poem sounds a lot like Nietzsche, who popularized the "death of God." His view was that God was something people created in order to make the world understandable. Humans couldn't explain everything around them, and so a deity was created to explain. He argued that, in light of the recent scientific discoveries, God was no longer needed, and in 1882 (the same year this poem was written) declared that God was dead. Emily, by this point had already had years of questioning religion and thinking about her beliefs, and perhaps Nietzsche's claim made some sense to her. In this poem, she doesn't go as far as Nietzsche, but does echo his thought. God seems to be invisible, like a hand that was once there is now gone. People are unsure of their fate. In the second stanza though, we can see her uncertainty in religion. She says that it's better to have an "ignis fatuus,"a Latin term meaning fake of misleading light, than no light at all. Perhaps God isn't quite right, but it's better to have some light then to be left in complete darkness.
A poem in contrast to this is Poem 150, where Emily seems to affirm a belief in heaven:
She dies—this was the way she died.
And when her breath was done
Took up her simple wardrobe
And started for the sun.
Her little figure at the gate
The Angels must have spied,
Since I could never find her
Upon the mortal side.
After reading this poem it seems clear that Emily believes that this "she" is in heaven. This may, however, be a last resort for her. She says that she can't find her on the mortal side, so she must therefore be in heaven. Emily's faith in eternity or immortality was not a strong faith. She seems to only be able to come to this conclusion after searching through all other possible options. There are many times in her letters where she affirms this faith in God during the death of a loved one. In 1879 she wrote a small note to Mrs. Henry Hills who's infant, Samuel, had just died. She simply said, "'Come unto me.' Beloved Commandment. The Darling obeyed." This is clearly a reference to Matthew 19:14 when Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me...." Emily, when faced with the reality of death, especially a child's death, seems to find rest in the belief of God and heaven.
These two poems are only a small glimpse into the thinking about religion Emily did. All through her numerous years of writing poetry, Emily wrote about religion and what it meant for death and life. It is impossible to give you a full overview of her thoughts in this short blog, but hopefully through these two poems you can see her doubts, questions, and partial conclusions. None of her religious poems seem completely set on one idea, all of them question in some way. Some of Emily's poems point to a disbelief in God and others point to a belief in God. Many of them do not denounce God, but possibly denounce the organized religion of Christianity. It is clear through these poems and others that we've looked at that Emily believed in something. She believed in nature and its power, she questioned science and what it's impact on belief will be, and she loved with a great and mighty fulness that many would say seems almost religious. Emily has strong beliefs, but she also has strong questions. It is impossible for us or anyone to really understand what she believed, to know where Emily may be now. But, it is clear that Emily lead a full and wonderful life. A life full of love, hope, joy, and pain. Emily was a deep questioner, thinker, and lover. She was a beautiful and full life.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Science of Poetry
Charles Darwin's famous book, On the Origin of Species, was published on November 24, 1859. Science was a hot debate during the life of Emily Dickinson. Every belief surrounding the beginnings of man and other creatures was on the rocks. One of the grand Victorian hobbies was to capture and collect insects, birds, rodents, and many other animals for the pleasure of natural study. People were fascinated by the natural world surrounding them and wanted to be able to somewhat, if not fully, begin to understand it. Darwin's Origin started to throw a drastic change into the previous thoughts toward the natural world. Many people were studying nature, but Darwin was one of the first to publicize his contradictory thoughts on science. Often The Origin of Species is turned into a religious debate, and while Darwin though carefully about his beliefs on religion, his purpose in writing the scientific book was not to denounce Christianity. He was simply trying to understand what he observed of the natural world.
Emily Dickinson also wanted to understand the world around her. She sought to find the discrepancies in the human condition and speak to those. Emily also liked the natural world and was no stranger to it. Being an avid gardener, she enjoyed learning about the plants that she used. There are a number of poems that speak to the upcoming science, it's processes, and the implications it might have to belief and religion. Many of Emily's poems in this category seem contradictory. Emily wasn't sure where she stood on this issue, however, tends to be cautious of the change in science. Like with most subjects Emily picks, she does so in order to explore and creatively think though what she believes. She was simply trying to understand what she observed of the natural world debate.
We'll look at two poems in order to get a glimpse of what Emily thinks on this subject. The first is Poem 70:
"Arcturus" is his other name
I'd rather call him "Star."
It's very mean of Science
To go and interfere!
I slew a worm the other day—
A "Savant" passing by
Murmured "Resurgam"—"Centipede"!
"Oh Lord—how frail are we"!
I pull a flower from the woods—
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath—
And has her in a "class"!
Whereas I took the Butterfly
Aforetime in my hat—
He sits in "Cabinets"—
The Clover bells forgot.
What once was "Heaven"
Is "Zenith" now—
Where I proposed to go
When Time's brief masquerade was done
Is mapped and charted too.
What if the poles should frisk about
And stand upon their heads!
I hope I'm ready for "the worst"—
Whatever prank betides!
Perhaps the "kingdom of Heaven's" changed—
I hope the "Children" there
Won't be "new fashioned" when I come—
And laugh at me—and stare—
I hope the Father in the skies
Will lift his little girl—
Old fashioned—naughty—everything
Over the stile of "Pearl."
This poem does a really good job of opening the stage for Emily's thoughts. She is saying a lot in this poem and it's easy to see many of her concerns with the coming of science. In the first few stanzas she seems to be lamenting the change of science on the world that she has observed. She doesn't like that people have decided upon names of stars, she'd rather it just be a star; in the second stanza she takes a direct jab as scientists by putting savant in quotation marks; the third and fourth stanzas are pointing out the uselessness of killing something living only to put it in glass and give it a class specification. The second half of the poem takes a turn from the silliness of science to the problems it could bring. The fifth stanza questions whether science will take over what we know of heaven, giving it a name and charting the way to it. The sixth comments on the fear that may come with science—what happens if everything changes? Humans now have to be concerned about the future because we know what may happen. A less dramatic, but still present turn happens in the last two stanzas, and Emily becomes more personal in her questioning of science. Will she no longer fit in if she doesn't accept these new ideas? Or, perhaps, will God accept her if she DOES accept the new ideas?
The second poem is number 108:
Surgeons must be very careful
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit—Life!
This short poem is rather charming, but also has a serious note to it. She is concerned that the scientists don't know what they're getting into. In order to "understand" the life, they have to kill it. One can't dissect an animal and understand how it functions without killing the animal in the process. She's commenting on the way that science may end up killing all of nature, taking all the beauty out of what was there. If we know too much, then it won't be possible to appreciate it.
So, where does this leave us in terms of what Emily thought or believed about science? I truly believe that Emily was just questioning. She was cautious about the potential hazards of science and what it had the possibility of doing to the world. In very Emily Dickinson fashion, she is questioning the good of the work being done in science. She is concerned that science will put the grand world in a box, making it much too simple. It is clear that she thought it was an interesting topic and was curious where it might lead, but was also concerned about the negative side-effects that were sure to come along with it.
Note: Thoughts started and stirred by Christine Avery's article Science, Technology, and Emily Dickinson.
Emily Dickinson also wanted to understand the world around her. She sought to find the discrepancies in the human condition and speak to those. Emily also liked the natural world and was no stranger to it. Being an avid gardener, she enjoyed learning about the plants that she used. There are a number of poems that speak to the upcoming science, it's processes, and the implications it might have to belief and religion. Many of Emily's poems in this category seem contradictory. Emily wasn't sure where she stood on this issue, however, tends to be cautious of the change in science. Like with most subjects Emily picks, she does so in order to explore and creatively think though what she believes. She was simply trying to understand what she observed of the natural world debate.
We'll look at two poems in order to get a glimpse of what Emily thinks on this subject. The first is Poem 70:
"Arcturus" is his other name
I'd rather call him "Star."
It's very mean of Science
To go and interfere!
I slew a worm the other day—
A "Savant" passing by
Murmured "Resurgam"—"Centipede"!
"Oh Lord—how frail are we"!
I pull a flower from the woods—
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath—
And has her in a "class"!
Whereas I took the Butterfly
Aforetime in my hat—
He sits in "Cabinets"—
The Clover bells forgot.
What once was "Heaven"
Is "Zenith" now—
Where I proposed to go
When Time's brief masquerade was done
Is mapped and charted too.
What if the poles should frisk about
And stand upon their heads!
I hope I'm ready for "the worst"—
Whatever prank betides!
Perhaps the "kingdom of Heaven's" changed—
I hope the "Children" there
Won't be "new fashioned" when I come—
And laugh at me—and stare—
I hope the Father in the skies
Will lift his little girl—
Old fashioned—naughty—everything
Over the stile of "Pearl."
This poem does a really good job of opening the stage for Emily's thoughts. She is saying a lot in this poem and it's easy to see many of her concerns with the coming of science. In the first few stanzas she seems to be lamenting the change of science on the world that she has observed. She doesn't like that people have decided upon names of stars, she'd rather it just be a star; in the second stanza she takes a direct jab as scientists by putting savant in quotation marks; the third and fourth stanzas are pointing out the uselessness of killing something living only to put it in glass and give it a class specification. The second half of the poem takes a turn from the silliness of science to the problems it could bring. The fifth stanza questions whether science will take over what we know of heaven, giving it a name and charting the way to it. The sixth comments on the fear that may come with science—what happens if everything changes? Humans now have to be concerned about the future because we know what may happen. A less dramatic, but still present turn happens in the last two stanzas, and Emily becomes more personal in her questioning of science. Will she no longer fit in if she doesn't accept these new ideas? Or, perhaps, will God accept her if she DOES accept the new ideas?
The second poem is number 108:
Surgeons must be very careful
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit—Life!
This short poem is rather charming, but also has a serious note to it. She is concerned that the scientists don't know what they're getting into. In order to "understand" the life, they have to kill it. One can't dissect an animal and understand how it functions without killing the animal in the process. She's commenting on the way that science may end up killing all of nature, taking all the beauty out of what was there. If we know too much, then it won't be possible to appreciate it.
So, where does this leave us in terms of what Emily thought or believed about science? I truly believe that Emily was just questioning. She was cautious about the potential hazards of science and what it had the possibility of doing to the world. In very Emily Dickinson fashion, she is questioning the good of the work being done in science. She is concerned that science will put the grand world in a box, making it much too simple. It is clear that she thought it was an interesting topic and was curious where it might lead, but was also concerned about the negative side-effects that were sure to come along with it.
Note: Thoughts started and stirred by Christine Avery's article Science, Technology, and Emily Dickinson.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Longing for Love
We've already built a bit of a foundation on the concept of relationships within Emily Dickinson's life. We know that she was fond of writing and keeping in touch with close friends, but that she also wasn't physically present in a number of her friendships. It is also known that Emily never married, though she did come close to the prospect a couple of times. With this bit of background knowledge, I would like to explore Emily's thoughts on relationships as they are expressed in her poetry. In the writing of over 1,700 poems, it only seems natural that Emily would write some about this important subject, and, in fact, there are hundreds to choose from. I would like to look at two specific poems: the first relates to friendships, the second (depending on the reading) relates to love and the desire for an intimate/sexual relationship.
The first poem is number 303. This is a well-known Emily Dickinson poem, often one that will be anthologized. However, it works wonderfully for exploring her thoughts toward friendship specifically, and relationships in general.
The Soul selects her own Society—
Then—shuts the Door—
To her divine Majority—
Present no more—
Unmoved—she notes the Chariots—pausing—
At her low Gate—
Unmoved—an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat—
I've known her—from an ample nation—
Choose One—
Then—close the Valves of her attention—
Like Stone—
Like most poems, and definitely all of Dickinson's poetry, there is more than one way to look at this poem. We will look at it from two different sides, but I believe there is plenty of room for other interpretations.
The first interpretation of this poem says that the speaker is Emily. In this she is saying that her soul selects who she wants to be around. It's a matter of Emily's soul, her being, not her brain, that decides who she will connect most with. In this interpretation, what is important to Emily is the connection from within – she wants someone who shares the same soul desires that she does. This makes sense when we think of how small and intimate Emily's group of friends were. She spoke with only people she trusted and was very fervent about connecting with them. The second stanza could be a reference to the number of times that visitors would come to the Dickinson house and Emily wouldn't make any appearance. Often she would stay in her room during the visits of others, no matter their importance. The final stanza supports the same thought, but in a less physical way. Emily's attentions was streamlined and focused on close friends, family, and her poetry. There are many people, "an ample nation," from which she could have chosen companions, but she chose her few and the closed "the Valves of her attention."
The second interpretation of this poem places Emily not as the speaker, but as the person being shut from the valves of attention. This reading sees Emily attempting to understand why some people (perhaps Abiah Root, mentioned in my post "Write Me Soon?") seemed to shut her out of their lives. In this reading the Emperor in the second stanza is Emily herself kneeling and waiting to be accepted, but always being rejected. This interpretation helps us understand the strong words that are used in the poem – like "stone." One might argue that this poem must be read in a more harsh tone, making it less likely that it's Emily rejecting others.
Either interpretation gives insight to Emily's thoughts on relationships. Whether she is the one selecting her society or the one not being selected for a society, it is clear that Emily believes that one can't be friends with all and that friendship cannot be a one-sided affair.
The second poem that we are going to look at is Poem 249, also known as "Wild Nights."
Wild Nights—Wild Nights!
Were I with thee
Wild Nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile—the Winds—
To a Heart in port—
Done with the Compass—
Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden—
Ah, the Sea!
Might I but moor—Tonight—
In Thee!
This again is a poem that has many different interpretations. Often it is read as a strictly erotic poem describing Emily's imagined night of intimacy with a man. It has also been read as a poem about the eroticism that happens in the wake of a connection with God. There are many critics who would point to this as an encounter with the the Almighty at which Emily is struck with a sublime feeling of emotion. Neither of these interpretations are what I would like to focus on for this though. I would like to look at this poem as a matter of longing for an emotional and romantic connection with another person. Paul Faris, in his article from The New England Quarterly entitled "Eroticism in Emily Dickinson's 'Wild Nights,'" expounds on this idea: "[I]nterpreters of this fine poem have minimized or even failed to see the despair which is its central point." He argues that the poem is not about a wild night of erotic sex, but instead is a poem about a wild storm that the speaker wants to be rid of. The poem is a longing to come into port from a storm of singleness and be in the arms of a loving relationship. The winds mentioned in the second stanza are futile when the speaker thinks of the Heart that is in a port waiting for her. Once she gets to the port, the compass and the chart are unnecessary. She is imaging being able to be in Eden – to dock the boat and be out of the roaring waves.
Faris elaborates on what this poem means by rewriting it in a paragraph form. Please forgive me for the long quotation:
"'Stormy nights on the sea of life are buffeting me, and I need thee desperately ' cries Emily. 'If I could only be safe in harbor with thee, the winds howling outside would lose their fearfulness, would even be welcome, for their futile efforts to get at us would only give us a luxurious sense of our sufficiency in each other. I would be rowing peacefully with thee in paradise, no longer depending desperately on compass and chart. But ah, I do not have thee, and the sea does buffet me. O that I might have tonight thy protective presence!'"
This rewriting helps us understand Faris' view point of the poem and allows us to look at this poem in more than one way.
Many of Emily's poems are about the connections that we have as humans. She attempts to explore all aspects of the human experience. Although she was never married or involved in any known sexual relationships, Emily is able to shed light on the human condition in relationships. She develops the longing and uncertainty that comes in these relationships and expresses them in a universal way.
The first poem is number 303. This is a well-known Emily Dickinson poem, often one that will be anthologized. However, it works wonderfully for exploring her thoughts toward friendship specifically, and relationships in general.
The Soul selects her own Society—
Then—shuts the Door—
To her divine Majority—
Present no more—
Unmoved—she notes the Chariots—pausing—
At her low Gate—
Unmoved—an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat—
I've known her—from an ample nation—
Choose One—
Then—close the Valves of her attention—
Like Stone—
Like most poems, and definitely all of Dickinson's poetry, there is more than one way to look at this poem. We will look at it from two different sides, but I believe there is plenty of room for other interpretations.
The first interpretation of this poem says that the speaker is Emily. In this she is saying that her soul selects who she wants to be around. It's a matter of Emily's soul, her being, not her brain, that decides who she will connect most with. In this interpretation, what is important to Emily is the connection from within – she wants someone who shares the same soul desires that she does. This makes sense when we think of how small and intimate Emily's group of friends were. She spoke with only people she trusted and was very fervent about connecting with them. The second stanza could be a reference to the number of times that visitors would come to the Dickinson house and Emily wouldn't make any appearance. Often she would stay in her room during the visits of others, no matter their importance. The final stanza supports the same thought, but in a less physical way. Emily's attentions was streamlined and focused on close friends, family, and her poetry. There are many people, "an ample nation," from which she could have chosen companions, but she chose her few and the closed "the Valves of her attention."
The second interpretation of this poem places Emily not as the speaker, but as the person being shut from the valves of attention. This reading sees Emily attempting to understand why some people (perhaps Abiah Root, mentioned in my post "Write Me Soon?") seemed to shut her out of their lives. In this reading the Emperor in the second stanza is Emily herself kneeling and waiting to be accepted, but always being rejected. This interpretation helps us understand the strong words that are used in the poem – like "stone." One might argue that this poem must be read in a more harsh tone, making it less likely that it's Emily rejecting others.
Either interpretation gives insight to Emily's thoughts on relationships. Whether she is the one selecting her society or the one not being selected for a society, it is clear that Emily believes that one can't be friends with all and that friendship cannot be a one-sided affair.
The second poem that we are going to look at is Poem 249, also known as "Wild Nights."
Wild Nights—Wild Nights!
Were I with thee
Wild Nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile—the Winds—
To a Heart in port—
Done with the Compass—
Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden—
Ah, the Sea!
Might I but moor—Tonight—
In Thee!
This again is a poem that has many different interpretations. Often it is read as a strictly erotic poem describing Emily's imagined night of intimacy with a man. It has also been read as a poem about the eroticism that happens in the wake of a connection with God. There are many critics who would point to this as an encounter with the the Almighty at which Emily is struck with a sublime feeling of emotion. Neither of these interpretations are what I would like to focus on for this though. I would like to look at this poem as a matter of longing for an emotional and romantic connection with another person. Paul Faris, in his article from The New England Quarterly entitled "Eroticism in Emily Dickinson's 'Wild Nights,'" expounds on this idea: "[I]nterpreters of this fine poem have minimized or even failed to see the despair which is its central point." He argues that the poem is not about a wild night of erotic sex, but instead is a poem about a wild storm that the speaker wants to be rid of. The poem is a longing to come into port from a storm of singleness and be in the arms of a loving relationship. The winds mentioned in the second stanza are futile when the speaker thinks of the Heart that is in a port waiting for her. Once she gets to the port, the compass and the chart are unnecessary. She is imaging being able to be in Eden – to dock the boat and be out of the roaring waves.
Faris elaborates on what this poem means by rewriting it in a paragraph form. Please forgive me for the long quotation:
"'Stormy nights on the sea of life are buffeting me, and I need thee desperately ' cries Emily. 'If I could only be safe in harbor with thee, the winds howling outside would lose their fearfulness, would even be welcome, for their futile efforts to get at us would only give us a luxurious sense of our sufficiency in each other. I would be rowing peacefully with thee in paradise, no longer depending desperately on compass and chart. But ah, I do not have thee, and the sea does buffet me. O that I might have tonight thy protective presence!'"
This rewriting helps us understand Faris' view point of the poem and allows us to look at this poem in more than one way.
Many of Emily's poems are about the connections that we have as humans. She attempts to explore all aspects of the human experience. Although she was never married or involved in any known sexual relationships, Emily is able to shed light on the human condition in relationships. She develops the longing and uncertainty that comes in these relationships and expresses them in a universal way.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Circumference
As mentioned before, 1862 was Emily Dickinson's most productive year, writing more than one poem a day. The number of letters to friends and family written that year is also exponential This is the time that is always pointed to as Emily's greatest year, not only because she was writing so many poems and letters, but this was also the time that she came into herself as a writer. She had become a fully developed poet with her own style and attributes. We can also gather what Emily might consider her "calling" as a poet through the poems and letters that were written during this time. Emily used striking and interesting words to describe what she calls "her business."
In a letter to Dr. and Mrs. J.G. Holland during the summer for 1862 Emily writes, "...I shall understand, and you need not stop to write me a letter. Perhaps you laugh at me! Perhaps the whole United States are laughing at me too! I can't stop for that! My business is to love." This relates closely to what was talked about in my pervious post titled "Write Me Soon?" In this letter to the Hollands, Emily is mourning the time it has been since she received a letter from them. She suggests that they are laughing at her for her impatience and want of a letter back. However, she tosses off the notion that what she is doing is unworthy - instead she says that her business is to love. She determines to continue to love in the way that she see fits because that is her business, that is her calling.
Not only did Emily see love as her business but also "circumference." This term comes from a letter to T.W. Higginson written in July of 1862, where she simply says, "My Business is Circumference." Higginson was a magazine editor and a correspondent of Emily's for a number of years. Higginson is one of the very few people who Emily let see her work, and one of the even fewer people that Emily requested critique from. Emily was open with Higginson about her work and her thoughts about it, and was genuinely interested in what he had to say about it – she wanted to improve her poetry. In a letter to Higginson she wrote about her poems saying, "While my thought is undressed—I can make the distinction, but when I put them in the Gown—they look alike, and numb." Higginson attempted to help Emily develop her writing, but Emily rarely changed her poems to match the critique she received. She felt too strongly that what was expressed through her poems needed to be expressed, and the critique Higginson gave her often took away what needed to be said. She refers to Higginson's critique as surgery in a letter from April of 1862 saying, "Thank you for the surgery—it was not so painful as I supposed."
This places some context for the quote, "My Business is Circumference." Emily wrote this to Higginson as he was helping edit and critique her writing. She wanted help and sought advice, even to the extent of calling herself Higginson's Scholar, and always signing her letters to him in that way. However, she also knew that she was called to write what she needed to write and couldn't let Higginson's editing get in the way of that.
But, this leaves us with one large question: What does Emily mean when she says "circumference."
Scott Donaldson, who has authored many American literary biographies, wrote an article titled "Minding Emily Dickinson's Business" that can help us understand what the term "circumference" meant to Emily. He starts the article by reminding the reader that "she never chose words casually. (574)" This, I believe, is an important point. We can tell by the numerous drafts and the laborious and intricate metaphors in her poetry and letters that she never took her lexicon lightly. So, when she chose the word "circumference" we can know that it was on purpose. This word also shows up in 17 of her poems and, as Donaldson shows us, all seem to point in the same direction – "[F]or Emily Dickinson, the word circumference...came to stand for the unreachable goal she was always questing toward–the goal of perfect perception and ideal comprehension. (574)"
Donaldson continues to expand on this concept throughout the short article. He says that often circumference is thought of as the thing that encapsulates an area, holding in whatever is inside the circle. However, this seems contrary to the way that Emily uses the term. Donaldson points to an author that Emily admired, Sir Thomas Browne, for the answer. "Browne defined it 'as a sense of boundlessness radiating out from a center...'" In seeing the term this way, we can imagine how Emily thought that her business was circumference. She felt that her business, her calling, was to reach out as far as she could into the boundlessness of circumference. A good example of this is Poem 798:
She staked her Feather—Gained an Arc—
Debated—Rose again—
This time—beyond the estimate
Of Envy, or of Men—
And now, among Circumference—
Her steady Boat be seen—
At home—among the Billows—As
The Bough where she was born—
This poem shows the way a bird might achieve circumference. Going up, farther than anyone would have imagined, including the bird. She is able to be in a place so much more like home than any other, a place great and beautiful, a place like no other. Emily was seeking to find this place of circumference for herself and others through her poetry.
Donaldson points the Poem 798 as one that shows that circumference is used in terms of space, but he also says that Emily used this poem in terms of time too. In Poem 802 she writes, "Time feels so vast that were if not / For an Eternity— / I fear me this Circumference / Engross me Finity—" The last two lines here really show the boundlessness of circumference. It is so much larger than the finite nature of the speaker.
Circumference is the term that Emily uses when she has no other word. It is the greatness of all that the world is and ever could be. It is the enormity of the universe and what exists after life. Donaldson says, "Circumference stands for the provinces of nature and of God which Emily Dickinson was never able to know in this world but never to cease seeking knowledge of... (579)" She uses this term to refer to all life - everything from art, to nature, to love, to faith. It is all in the realm of circumference that Emily is seeking for in her writing, but feels she never finds in her human life.
In a couple of poems, Emily points to death as a possible way of truly finding circumference. This may be because it was the one place that she hadn't had the ability to look herself. This can be seen well in Poem 943:
A Coffin—is a small Domain,
Yet able to contain
A Citizen of Paradise
In it's diminished Plane.
A Grave—is a restricted Breadth—
Yet ampler than the Sun—
And all the Seas He populates
And Lands He looks upon
To Him who on it's small Repose
Bestows a single Friend—
Circumference without Relief—
Or Estimate—or End—
Circumference is the place of ultimate home. It is the place where one feels completely free, where one can express anything and everything. Circumference is knowing that all is within the grasp of one's hand and one is not idle in pursuing it. Emily Dickinson said that her business was circumference, her business was to help others understand this vast boundlessness that she was searching for. She wanted to understand and receive circumference, and she wanted to bring you into it.
In a letter to Dr. and Mrs. J.G. Holland during the summer for 1862 Emily writes, "...I shall understand, and you need not stop to write me a letter. Perhaps you laugh at me! Perhaps the whole United States are laughing at me too! I can't stop for that! My business is to love." This relates closely to what was talked about in my pervious post titled "Write Me Soon?" In this letter to the Hollands, Emily is mourning the time it has been since she received a letter from them. She suggests that they are laughing at her for her impatience and want of a letter back. However, she tosses off the notion that what she is doing is unworthy - instead she says that her business is to love. She determines to continue to love in the way that she see fits because that is her business, that is her calling.
Not only did Emily see love as her business but also "circumference." This term comes from a letter to T.W. Higginson written in July of 1862, where she simply says, "My Business is Circumference." Higginson was a magazine editor and a correspondent of Emily's for a number of years. Higginson is one of the very few people who Emily let see her work, and one of the even fewer people that Emily requested critique from. Emily was open with Higginson about her work and her thoughts about it, and was genuinely interested in what he had to say about it – she wanted to improve her poetry. In a letter to Higginson she wrote about her poems saying, "While my thought is undressed—I can make the distinction, but when I put them in the Gown—they look alike, and numb." Higginson attempted to help Emily develop her writing, but Emily rarely changed her poems to match the critique she received. She felt too strongly that what was expressed through her poems needed to be expressed, and the critique Higginson gave her often took away what needed to be said. She refers to Higginson's critique as surgery in a letter from April of 1862 saying, "Thank you for the surgery—it was not so painful as I supposed."
This places some context for the quote, "My Business is Circumference." Emily wrote this to Higginson as he was helping edit and critique her writing. She wanted help and sought advice, even to the extent of calling herself Higginson's Scholar, and always signing her letters to him in that way. However, she also knew that she was called to write what she needed to write and couldn't let Higginson's editing get in the way of that.
But, this leaves us with one large question: What does Emily mean when she says "circumference."
Scott Donaldson, who has authored many American literary biographies, wrote an article titled "Minding Emily Dickinson's Business" that can help us understand what the term "circumference" meant to Emily. He starts the article by reminding the reader that "she never chose words casually. (574)" This, I believe, is an important point. We can tell by the numerous drafts and the laborious and intricate metaphors in her poetry and letters that she never took her lexicon lightly. So, when she chose the word "circumference" we can know that it was on purpose. This word also shows up in 17 of her poems and, as Donaldson shows us, all seem to point in the same direction – "[F]or Emily Dickinson, the word circumference...came to stand for the unreachable goal she was always questing toward–the goal of perfect perception and ideal comprehension. (574)"
Donaldson continues to expand on this concept throughout the short article. He says that often circumference is thought of as the thing that encapsulates an area, holding in whatever is inside the circle. However, this seems contrary to the way that Emily uses the term. Donaldson points to an author that Emily admired, Sir Thomas Browne, for the answer. "Browne defined it 'as a sense of boundlessness radiating out from a center...'" In seeing the term this way, we can imagine how Emily thought that her business was circumference. She felt that her business, her calling, was to reach out as far as she could into the boundlessness of circumference. A good example of this is Poem 798:
She staked her Feather—Gained an Arc—
Debated—Rose again—
This time—beyond the estimate
Of Envy, or of Men—
And now, among Circumference—
Her steady Boat be seen—
At home—among the Billows—As
The Bough where she was born—
This poem shows the way a bird might achieve circumference. Going up, farther than anyone would have imagined, including the bird. She is able to be in a place so much more like home than any other, a place great and beautiful, a place like no other. Emily was seeking to find this place of circumference for herself and others through her poetry.
Donaldson points the Poem 798 as one that shows that circumference is used in terms of space, but he also says that Emily used this poem in terms of time too. In Poem 802 she writes, "Time feels so vast that were if not / For an Eternity— / I fear me this Circumference / Engross me Finity—" The last two lines here really show the boundlessness of circumference. It is so much larger than the finite nature of the speaker.
Circumference is the term that Emily uses when she has no other word. It is the greatness of all that the world is and ever could be. It is the enormity of the universe and what exists after life. Donaldson says, "Circumference stands for the provinces of nature and of God which Emily Dickinson was never able to know in this world but never to cease seeking knowledge of... (579)" She uses this term to refer to all life - everything from art, to nature, to love, to faith. It is all in the realm of circumference that Emily is seeking for in her writing, but feels she never finds in her human life.
In a couple of poems, Emily points to death as a possible way of truly finding circumference. This may be because it was the one place that she hadn't had the ability to look herself. This can be seen well in Poem 943:
A Coffin—is a small Domain,
Yet able to contain
A Citizen of Paradise
In it's diminished Plane.
A Grave—is a restricted Breadth—
Yet ampler than the Sun—
And all the Seas He populates
And Lands He looks upon
To Him who on it's small Repose
Bestows a single Friend—
Circumference without Relief—
Or Estimate—or End—
Circumference is the place of ultimate home. It is the place where one feels completely free, where one can express anything and everything. Circumference is knowing that all is within the grasp of one's hand and one is not idle in pursuing it. Emily Dickinson said that her business was circumference, her business was to help others understand this vast boundlessness that she was searching for. She wanted to understand and receive circumference, and she wanted to bring you into it.
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