Emily Dickinson is one of the most recognized and influential American poets. Her unique style was initially rejected by publishers, as her work was heavily edited when first published and only during the 1950s did scholars work to return her poetry to its intended form. In addition, her distinct use of punctuation and her ambiguous thematic subjects contribute to the difficulty in classifying her poetry. Scholars place her work in a variety of movements, including Transcendentalism, Romanticism, Realism, and proto-Modernism.

“There’s a certain Slant of light” is a lyric poem published posthumously in 1890. Commonly anthologized, this poem is emblematic of both Dickinson’s style and themes. Dense and ambiguous, the poem describes a beam of light and compares it to cathedral music so that the speaker can consider the spiritual effects of the light. The poem’s themes of religion, death, and despair are prominent across Dickinson’s work.

Dickinson’s poetry is often anthologized and taught in English classes for middle school through university students in the United States.

Poet Biography

American poet Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her family enjoyed some prominence in their community. Dickinson had two siblings: her older brother William Austin and her younger sister Lavinia.

Dickinson attended primary school and was notably well-educated for a girl of her time. With her sister Lavinia, Dickinson started at Amherst Academy in 1840. During her seven years at the school, she studied a variety of subjects, such as English and Classical Literature, botany, geology, history, philosophy, and arithmetic.

Several formative events occurred while Dickinson was at the academy. The death of her second cousin and close friend traumatized her so deeply her family sent her to Boston to recover. During this time, Amherst also experienced a religious revival, which included Dickinson and many of her peers. While Dickinson stayed religious throughout her life, she never made a formal declaration of faith and stopped attending regular services after a few years.

In August 1847, Dickinson began attending Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. She attended only briefly, and scholars cite her poor health, her father’s desire to have her at home, Dickinson’s distaste for the evangelical fervor or strict teachers at the school, or her homesickness as possible explanations for her departure in March 1848.

A family friend, Benjamin Franklin Newton, became a formative mentor in Dickinson’s life. He introduced Dickinson to William Wordsworth’s and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poetry. This poetry had a liberating effect on her.

In the 1850s, Dickinson also began her strongest and most affectionate relationship with Susan Gilbert, a woman who would go on to marry Dickinson’s brother. This correspondence was Dickinson’s most prolific, as Dickinson wrote her over 300 letters. Susan was not only a friend but a muse and adviser. It is likely that the relationship was a romantic one. In 1856, Susan married Dickinson’s brother after a four-year courtship.

The women’s relationship has only been recently re-evaluated by scholars. Initially, their relationship was dismissed, and Susan’s influence was diminished since the primary source of information came from Mabel Loomis Todd, the mistress of Dickinson’s brother and thus Susan’s romantic rival.

Dickinson rarely traveled far from Amherst, but in the spring of 1855, she accompanied her mother and sister on a five-week trip to Washington and Philadelphia.

Dickinson’s mother became effectively bedridden from the mid 1850s, which caused an increase in Dickinson’s domestic responsibilities while confining her to the house. While this was undoubtedly a burden, a solitary life where she was able to read and care for her plants suited Dickinson.

Beginning in the summer of 1858, her retreat into a more reclusive life allowed her to begin reviewing and editing her poetry. By making clean copies and assembling her work into hand-made manuscripts, Dickinson assured her lasting legacy. She created 40 fascicles, or small booklets, which include a total of over 800 poems. These books were not discovered until her death.

By the first half of the 1860s, Dickinson had largely withdrawn from social life. Scholars speculate as to what caused her seclusion. In her lifetime, she was diagnosed with nervous prostration. Modern scholars interpret this as illnesses like agoraphobia and epilepsy. While the cause of her reclusion is unknown, this would be her most productive writing period.

In April 1862, Dickinson contacted literary critic Thomas Wentworth Higginson after reading his essay in The Atlantic Monthly that gave practical advice for writers wishing to be published. This decision is another indication that suggests Dickinson was considering publishing her poetry. Higginson responded, praising her work but suggesting she wait to publish until she has written longer, as he was unaware she had previously appeared in print. His interest encouraged Dickinson, and they corresponded until her death.

Starting in 1866, Dickinson wrote fewer poems, as she became overwhelmed with domestic work and personal loss. At this time, Dickinson became even more reclusive while her behavior became more eccentric. For example, she began to talk to visitors through a door rather than face to face. Dickinson also began wearing only white clothing. Her behavior resulted in local notoriety. Despite these changes in behavior, Dickinson remained socially active through voluminous letter writing.

While she continued to write in her last few years, Dickinson stopped editing and organizing her works. In addition, she made her sister promise to burn her papers upon her death.

The 1880s were a difficult period for Dickinson and her extended family. Her brother, estranged from his wife Susan, began a love affair with Mabel Loomis Todd. Her brother distanced himself from his family, and Susan was overwhelmed by grief. In addition, Dickinson’s mother and her favorite nephew Gilbert died.

In the fall of 1884, Dickson began to suffer from an extended illness. On May 15, 1886, Dickinson died at the age of 55. Her physician attributed her death to Bright’s disease.

Susan wrote Dickinson’s obituary and washed her body before the funeral. Higginson read Emily Bronte’s poem “No Coward Soul is Mine” at her service. She was buried in a field of buttercups in her family plot at West Cemetery on Triangle Street.

Upon Dickinson’s death, her sister Lavinia kept her promise and burned most of Dickinson’s letters. But as Dickinson had not made specific requests about her poetry, Lavinia kept the nearly 1800 poems she discovered. Four years later, Dickinson’s first volume of poetry was published. This edition was considerably edited and revised to conform to the standards and expectations of the time. Since the first collection in 1890, Dickson’s poetry has remained continuously in print.

Dickinson has been honored extensively. Several schools have been named after her. She was honored with a commemorative stamp in the “American Poet” series in 1971. In 1973, Dickinson was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Her life has been adapted for the stage, film, and TV. These include the 1976 one-woman play The Belle of Amherst, the 2016 film A Quiet Passion, and the 2019 show Dickinson.

Poem Text

There's a certain Slant of light,

Winter Afternoons –

That oppresses, like the Heft

Of Cathedral Tunes –

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –

We can find no scar,

But internal difference –

Where the Meanings, are –

None may teach it – Any –

'Tis the seal Despair –

An imperial affliction

Sent us of the Air –

When it comes, the Landscape listens –

Shadows – hold their breath –

When it goes, 'tis like the Distance

On the look of Death –

Dickinson, Emily. “There’s a certain Slant of light.” 1890. Poetry Foundation.

Summary

The unspecified speaker begins by describing a beam of light coming into their view in an unspecified setting. This light comes at a particular angle, causing the speaker to remark how it weighs down on them like the heaviness of church hymns.

This experience prompts the speaker to reflect on the deep feelings of despair they feel and the pain they feel. This pain is not physical and does not leave a mark, but it is rather an internal confusion about spirituality and the meaning of life.

This pain is not something that can be taught, but rather it is a punishment sent from above, like from an emperor.

When the light and the feeling come, the whole of the landscape becomes still as if it were listening and shadows freeze. When this feeling disappears and the light leaves, the speaker feels as distant as the dead look in a corpse’s eye.