Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous and influential American poets of all time. Her poems are known for their unconventional style, profound themes, and personal voice. But did you know that she also had a remarkable college education? In this article, we will explore where Emily Dickinson went to college, what she studied, and how her college years shaped her life and work.
Educational Journey
Emily Dickinson attended two different colleges in her lifetime: Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
Amherst Academy was a private school in her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts, where she had studied since she was nine years old. She showed great talent in composition and excelled in Latin and the sciences. She also developed a passion for botany and assembled an herbarium containing many pressed plants identified in Latin. She graduated from Amherst Academy in 1847 at the age of 161
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was a prestigious women’s college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, about 10 miles from Amherst. It was founded by Mary Lyon, a pioneer of women’s education, who wanted to provide young women with a rigorous academic curriculum and a strong moral foundation. Dickinson enrolled in Mount Holyoke in 1847, but she did not enjoy her experience there. She found the atmosphere too strict, the religious instruction too dogmatic, and the social life too limited. She also suffered from homesickness and poor health. She left Mount Holyoke after only one year, without earning a degree2
Dickinson did not pursue any further formal education after leaving Mount Holyoke, but she continued to learn on her own through reading, writing, and correspondence. She was especially interested in literature, philosophy, religion, and nature. She read widely from authors such as William Shakespeare, John Keats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Charlotte Brontë. She also wrote hundreds of poems and letters to her friends and family, expressing her thoughts and feelings on various topics.
Early Life and Background
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was the second of three children of Edward Dickinson and Emily Norcross Dickinson. Her father was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as the treasurer of Amherst College and a member of Congress. Her mother was a quiet and hardworking housewife who took care of the household chores. Dickinson had a close relationship with her older brother Austin and her younger sister Lavinia, who both supported her literary pursuits.
Dickinson grew up in a comfortable and cultured environment, surrounded by books, music, art, and nature. She attended church regularly with her family and was exposed to various religious traditions and beliefs. She also enjoyed visiting her relatives and friends in nearby towns and cities, such as Boston and Springfield.
Dickinson showed signs of poetic talent from an early age. She wrote her first poem when she was eight years old, inspired by a visit to her father’s law office. She also composed verses for school assignments, holidays, birthdays, and other occasions. She loved to play with words, rhyme, rhythm, and imagery.
Post-College Journey
Dickinson’s college education had a significant impact on her career as a poet. It provided her with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to craft her unique poetic voice and vision.
One of the most important influences of her college education was her exposure to different styles and forms of poetry. At Amherst Academy, she learned about classical poetry from ancient Greece and Rome, as well as contemporary poetry from Britain and America. She also studied the rules of versification, such as meter, rhyme scheme, stanza structure, and punctuation. At Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, she encountered more religious poetry from hymns and psalms. She also read some feminist poetry from women writers who challenged the social norms of their time.
Dickinson used these influences to create her own original style of poetry that broke many of the conventional rules of poetry. She wrote short poems with irregular lines that often lacked titles or punctuation marks. She used slant rhyme or partial rhyme instead of exact rhyme to create subtle sound effects. She also experimented with different types of imagery, metaphors, symbols, and paradoxes to convey complex meanings.
Another important influence of her college education was her connection with some influential professors and mentors who encouraged her poetic development.
At Amherst Academy, she met Benjamin Franklin Newton, a young lawyer who tutored her in mathematics and Latin. He also introduced her to some contemporary poets such as William Wordsworth and George Gordon Byron. He praised her poems and urged her to publish them.
At Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, she met Helen Hunt Jackson, a fellow student who later became a famous poet and novelist. Jackson admired Dickinson’s poems and tried to persuade her to publish them as well.
Dickinson also maintained contact with some of her college professors and classmates through letters. She exchanged poems and opinions with them and sought their feedback and advice.
Dickinson’s college education also influenced her choice of subjects and themes for her poetry. She wrote about a wide range of topics, such as love, death, nature, faith, doubt, art, and society. She often drew from her personal experiences, observations, and emotions, as well as from her readings and studies. She also reflected on the issues and events of her time, such as the Civil War, slavery, women’s rights, and scientific discoveries.
Impact and Significance
Dickinson’s college education is widely recognized as a crucial factor in her poetic achievement and legacy. Her college education gave her the tools and resources to express her original and innovative poetic vision. Her college education also helped her to establish her reputation and influence in the literary world.
Dickinson’s poems are considered to be among the greatest and most influential in American literature. They have inspired generations of readers and writers with their beauty, depth, and power. They have also been studied and analyzed by scholars and critics from various disciplines and perspectives.
Dickinson’s poems have also been translated into many languages and adapted into various forms of art, such as music, film, theater, and visual art. They have also been used as sources of inspiration and guidance for people from different backgrounds and situations.
Dickinson herself was aware of the value and importance of her college education for her poetry. She once wrote to a friend: “I went to school—but in your manner of the phrase had no education.” 3 She meant that she did not receive a formal or conventional education, but rather an education that suited her own needs and interests. She also wrote to another friend: “I never had a mother. I suppose a mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.” 4 She meant that she did not have a biological mother who understood or supported her, but rather a mother figure who was her source of comfort and wisdom. She found such a mother figure in poetry itself.
Interesting Anecdotes
Here are some interesting anecdotes from Dickinson’s college years that reveal more about her personality and character:
- Dickinson was known for her love of baking. She often baked cakes, pies, breads, and cookies for her family and friends. She also sent some of her baked goods along with her poems to her correspondents. One of her specialties was gingerbread, which she shaped into letters or numbers.
- Dickinson was also known for her love of gardening. She cultivated flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs in her family’s garden. She also collected wildflowers from the fields and woods around her home. She used some of her plants for medicinal purposes or for making tea.
- Dickinson was fond of animals. She had several pets throughout her life, such as dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and horses. She also befriended some wild animals, such as squirrels, chipmunks, butterflies, and bees. She often wrote poems about them or dedicated poems to them.
- Dickinson was not very sociable or outgoing. She preferred to stay at home or in her room rather than go out or attend parties. She also avoided meeting strangers or visitors. She once wrote to a friend: “I do not cross my father’s ground to any house or town.” 5 She meant that she rarely left her home or traveled far.
- Dickinson was very independent and rebellious. She did not conform to the expectations or norms of her society or culture. She did not follow the fashion trends or wear the typical dresses or accessories of her time. She often wore white clothes or simple dresses that were comfortable and practical. She also did not adhere to the religious doctrines or practices of her community or family. She questioned the authority of the church and the Bible and developed her own views on faith and spirituality.
Relevance to Today’s Students
Dickinson’s college journey is relevant to today’s students who are interested in pursuing their own educational goals and dreams.
Dickinson’s college journey teaches us that:
- Education is not limited to formal institutions or degrees. It can be found in various sources and forms, such as books, letters, nature, art, etc.
- Education is not a one-size-fits-all process. It can be tailored to one’s own needs and interests, as well as one’s own pace and style.
- Education is not a passive or static activity. It can be active and dynamic, involving exploration, experimentation, creativity, and communication.
- Education is not an end in itself. It can be a means to an end, such as personal growth, professional development, social change, etc.
Dickinson’s college journey also inspires us to:
- Follow our passions and talents
- Challenge ourselves and our limits
- Express ourselves and our ideas
- Connect with others and our world
- Make a difference in our work