Close Reading emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson
We should not mind so small a flower 

We should not mind so small a flower 
Except it quiet bring
Our little garden that we lost
Back to the Lawn again -

So spicy her Carnations nod -
So drunken, reel her Bees -
So silver, steal a hundred flutes
From out a hundred trees -

That whoso sees this little flower
By faith, may clear behold
The Bobolinks around the throne
And Dandelions gold. 

(written c. 1859)

Close Reading the Poetry of Emily Dickinson

This is our second course on Emily Dickinson.

Dickinson was born in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts and died in 1886. She is regarded as one of the greatest American poets of the nineteenth century, though very little of her work was published in her lifetime.

Dickinson’s formal experimentation and her inventive use of the first person are just two of the ideas that we will discuss as we observe, analyse and talk about how the poems use language, sound, form and imagery to marvellous effect.

In these 2-hour live online sessions, we will carry out a close reading of a number of Emily Dickinson poems. Together we will explore the power and originality of her work. This course will study a different selection of poems from the first course on Dickinson.

Course fees (include VAT at 20%)

£86.00 Full price
£80.00 Students on a low income
£80.00 CAMcard holders

Please note: because these classes are mainly discussion, we do not record them.

Dates

Sundays, 8 November and 15 November 2026, 2.00-4.00 pm British Time (GMT). Live online.

Link: Poetry Foundation on Emily Dickinson.
Emily Dickinson Museum website.
Emily Dickinson Archive website.

To book, click on the image below.