- Dickinson’s poetry is often described as “experimental.” Why do you think her work is described this way? What features of her poetry seem experimental to you?
- The introductory section notes that Keats was among Dickinson’s major inspirations. Do you notice any resonances between their poems?
- In what ways do the form of these poems (punctuation, capitalization, line breaks, etc.) contribute to, or shape their meaning?
- Look at the manuscript versions of two or three of Dickinson’s poems. Does seeing these handwritten versions affect your experience or interpretation of the poems? How so? And if not, why?