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"A solemn thing—it was—I said" (Poem 271)

MARCIA FALK (ESSAY DATE 1989)

SOURCE: Falk, Marcia. "Poem 271." Women's Studies 16, nos. 1-2 (1989): 23-7.

In the following essay, Falk interprets poem "271" as a chronicle of self-discovery in which the narrator rejects the role of bride or nun.

In the first publication of Emily Dickinson's poem # "271" (in 1896, ten years after Dickinson's death), the poem was entitled "Wedded" by the editors. The editorial assumption that this passionate lyric was intended as a paean to marriage is typical of the way Dickinson's work and life have been treated by the critics until recently. It is much to the credit of feminist scholars in the recent past that readers have begun to see the poet and the poetry on their own terms, rather than filtered through the lens of...

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1. Introduction
2. Principal Works
3. Primary Sources
   1. Emily Dickinson (Poem Date 1861?)
   2. Emily Dickinson (Poem Date 1862?)
   3. Emily Dickinson (Poem Date 1862?)
   4. Emily Dickinson (Poem Date 1863?)
4. General Commentary
   1. Adrienne Rich (Essay Date 1976)
5. Title Commentary
   1. "A solemn thing—it was—I said" (Poem 271)
   2. "I dwell in Possibility—" (Poem 657)
   3. "Because I could not stop for Death—" (Poem 712)
6. Further Reading
7. Copyright

1. Emily Dickinson
2. Feminism