"In this beautifully written, refreshingly insightful explication of Dickinson's work, Phillips argues that the Amherst poet . . . 'assumed many personae,' and that 'the experiences in the poems are often transformations of episodes in the lives of personal friends, literary characters, and historical figures for whom a fictive "I" is only a convenient term.'"-Nineteenth-Century Literature

"Although the intention of this book is not strictly biographical, the life of Dickinson is vividly portrayed and realistically interpreted. Instead of the stereotypical image of Emily Dickinson as the New England Nun, we see instead a real woman living quietly and working hard at home, full of concern for those she loves, deeply affected by the issues of her day, interacting intensely with the world around her through poetry and letters. Phillips challenges many of those interpretations of Dickinson's life and poetry that have become almost standard and universally accepted . . . . This is an important book for the Dickinson scholar who will recognize immediately the debates and controversies among Dickinson scholars that Phillips gracefully refers to and very adequately challenges."-Choice

Elizabeth Phillips is Professor Emerita of English at Wake Forest University. She is the author of Marianne Moore.