Summary: Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) might be the most enigmatic poet who ever lived. Her innovative use of meter and punctuation – and above all the liveliness of her ideas, as she crashes together abstract thoughts and concrete images – astonished her nineteenth-century readers and have retained their power to delight, puzzle, confound, and enlighten us today. Who was this quiet person in Amherst, Massachusetts, and how did she come to write such unusual poems? Host Jacke Wilson celebrates Emily Dickinson and her special genius – and offers some thoughts on how we can benefit from studying different forms of genius, whether it’s John Lennon describing his childhood or Icelandic chanteuse Björk, interviewing herself.<br> Help support the show at <a href="http://www.patreon.com/literature">patreon.com/literature</a>. Learn more about the show at <a href="http://www.historyofliterature.com/">historyofliterature.com</a>. Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com.<br> FOR A LIMITED TIME: Special holiday news! Now for a limited time, you can purchase History of Literature swag (mugs, tote bags, and “virtual coffees” for Jacke) at <a href="http://historyofliterature.com/shop/">historyofliterature.com/shop</a>. Get yours today!<br> <a class="synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-48 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2F120-the-astonishing-emily-dickinson%2F&t=120%20The%20Astonishing%20Emily%20Dickinson&s=100&p%5Burl%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2F120-the-astonishing-emily-dickinson%2F&p%5Bimages%5D%5B0%5D=https%3A%2F%2Fi2.wp.com%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F11%2Femily-dickinson.png%3Ffit%3D1200%252C628&p%5Btitle%5D=120%20The%20Astonishing%20Emily%20Dickinson" style="font-size: 0px; width: 48px; height: 48px; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 5px;"></a><a class="synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-48 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2F120-the-astonishing-emily-dickinson%2F&text=Hey%20check%20this%20out" style="font-size: 0px; width: 48px; height: 48px; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 5px;"></a><a class="synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-48 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-google_plus nolightbox" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Google+" href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2F120-the-astonishing-emily-dickinson%2F" style="font-size: 0px; width: 48px; height: 48px; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 5px;"></a><a class="synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-48 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-reddit nolightbox" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Reddit" href="http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2F120-the-astonishing-emily-dickinson%2F&title=120%20The%20Astonishing%20Emily%20Dickinson" style="font-size: 0px; width: 48px; height: 48px; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 5px;"></a><a class="synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-48 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-pinterest nolightbox" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Pin it with Pinterest" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhistoryofliterature.com%2F120-the-astonishing-emily-dickinson%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fi2.wp."></a>
