The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self

Emily Dickinson was an avid reader of Shakespeare’s works, and several references to his plays and sonnets can be found both in Dickinson’s letters and in her poems. Rather than an intimidating and unsurpassable literary figure, Shakespeare was as much as a teacher, a mentor, as Higginson or Susan –...

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Main Author: Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association Française d'Etudes Américaines 2010-09-01
Series:Transatlantica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/4901
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author Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau
author_facet Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau
author_sort Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau
collection DOAJ
description Emily Dickinson was an avid reader of Shakespeare’s works, and several references to his plays and sonnets can be found both in Dickinson’s letters and in her poems. Rather than an intimidating and unsurpassable literary figure, Shakespeare was as much as a teacher, a mentor, as Higginson or Susan –her sister-in-law and friend– were to the poet. This paper considers Shakespeare’s works as a creative matrix to Dickinson’s writing, whose own theatricality is also underlined through the study of several performances of identity in the correspondence as well as in the poems. This article also tries to show how Dickinson appropriated elements of Shakespearean theatricality in her poetic work. Bearing in mind John Stuart Mill’s conception of the lyric as a genre that can only be “overheard”, and the many studies that represent Dickinson as “turning her back” on her readers, we also examine the relations between the poetic voice and her audience.
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spelling doaj-art-da69067e284542068ff9efbbadf557212025-01-30T10:46:43ZengAssociation Française d'Etudes AméricainesTransatlantica1765-27662010-09-01110.4000/transatlantica.4901The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical SelfAdeline Chevrier-BosseauEmily Dickinson was an avid reader of Shakespeare’s works, and several references to his plays and sonnets can be found both in Dickinson’s letters and in her poems. Rather than an intimidating and unsurpassable literary figure, Shakespeare was as much as a teacher, a mentor, as Higginson or Susan –her sister-in-law and friend– were to the poet. This paper considers Shakespeare’s works as a creative matrix to Dickinson’s writing, whose own theatricality is also underlined through the study of several performances of identity in the correspondence as well as in the poems. This article also tries to show how Dickinson appropriated elements of Shakespearean theatricality in her poetic work. Bearing in mind John Stuart Mill’s conception of the lyric as a genre that can only be “overheard”, and the many studies that represent Dickinson as “turning her back” on her readers, we also examine the relations between the poetic voice and her audience.https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/4901ShakespeareEmily Dickinsonperformancelyrical/theatrical self and voice“self-fashioning” (Greenblatt)
spellingShingle Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau
The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self
Transatlantica
Shakespeare
Emily Dickinson
performance
lyrical/theatrical self and voice
“self-fashioning” (Greenblatt)
title The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self
title_full The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self
title_fullStr The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self
title_full_unstemmed The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self
title_short The Influence of Shakespearean Theatricality on Emily Dickinson’s Lyrical Self
title_sort influence of shakespearean theatricality on emily dickinson s lyrical self
topic Shakespeare
Emily Dickinson
performance
lyrical/theatrical self and voice
“self-fashioning” (Greenblatt)
url https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/4901
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