One of the most interesting things that’s shown up throughout most of the letters we’ve read so far, and that we only briefly got the chance to touch on in class, was Dickinson’s relationship with God and her views on religion, spirituality, and the church.

Even as early as 16, and in the first letter we read for today, Dickinson is grappling with religion in an incredibly complex and interesting way. I especially found these lines interesting: “I have perfect confidence in God & his promises & yet I know not why, I feel that the world holds a predominant place in my affections. I do not feel that I could give up all for Christ, were I called to die.” This idea progressed into her adulthood, as we looked at in class with her letter to Mrs. J. G. Holland (letter 185), where she said “there were no need of other Heaven than the one below – and if God had been here this summer, and seen the things that I have seen – I guess that He would think His Paradise superfluous.”

It’s really interesting to look at how Dickinson viewed life and the afterlife here, and what I’m particularly interested in is how do you all think that the spree of death of loved ones that followed her later in her life effected that viewpoint on life, afterlife, and religion, if at all?

David’s CS for March 9th

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