Style Period of Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson, a creative poet during the mid-nineteenth century, wrote what many consider to be truly American poetry. To understand why Dickinson is considered a brilliant writer of American poetry, one must know about the time period in which she wrote her poetry. Dickinson wrote during the era of American literature known as the Age of Expansion (Perkins 869). This was during the first half-century after the Civil War to the First World War which was approximately 1865-1915 (Perkins 869). During this time period, American literature went through many drastic changes. American writers progressively moved from romanticism to realism (Perkins 870). Realism was a much more realistic interpretation of humanity and its destiny (Perkins 870). This new approach addressed a larger and more general audience than the writings of the Romantic era (Perkins 870). Although Dickinson is considered a writer from the Age of Expansion, her style of writing combined elements from the Romantic and Realism eras (Perkins 872). Emily Dickinson was from the Amherst village which possessed a deeply rooted identity from Puritanical America (Perkins 872). Dickinson wrote with such a style and compassion that her poems are still among the most popular of all American poetry today. All but a few of her poems were published after her death. This is a great symbol of American Patriotism for the fact that she wrote from the heart and not for a paycheck. All of the elements combined were poured into everyone of her works and because of this, Dickinson is a symbol of American poetry.