American Transcendentalism: An Online Travel Guide

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WebQuest: Emily Dickinson

Overview: In this WebQuest, you will explore Emily Dickinson’s poetry and letters. Naturally you will want to see how Dickinson expresses the Transcendental ethos in her way (as only Dickinson could!). Take a look at the links that describe where she lived and the events of her life.

Step 1: See where Dickinson lived, learn more about her family, and visit the town of Amherst.

Read this biography of Dickinson at the Norton literature resources website. See where Dickinson lived in Amherst. Visit "Virtual Emily" and learn about Emily’s ancestors, take a walking tour of Amherst, read about Thomas Higginson’s influence, and see pictures of her sister Lavinia and other family members. Visit the Poetry Society of America to see Dickinson’s Black Cake recipe. See Joyce Carol Oates dressed as Dickinson!

Step 2: Explore Dickinson’s poems.

After reading the poems, explore the key Dickinson sites (as listed below). Follow as many links as possible. Watch this video from the "Favorite Poem" Project.  

"Watch" Emily Dickinson Writing a Poem. (After you click on this link, type in dickinson as your user id and ink_on_disc as your password.) Take a look at how Dickinson wrote her poetry. This site includes some of Dickinson’s manuscripts.

Step 3: Explore Dickinson’s letters.

Read about Dickinson’s love letters. Read excerpts from "Open Me Carefully" (letters to Susan Gilbert). You may also want to explore "Love and Conquest: The Erotics of Colonial Discourse in Dickinson’s Poetry and Letters" (part of the Classroom Electric project). Learn about the role of The Atlantic Monthly in presenting Dickinson to the public. Read the famous piece by Thomas Wentworth Higginson entitled "Emily Dickinson’s Letters." Read another famous Higginson letter: "Letter to a Young Contributor."

Step 4: Reflect on Dickinson’s work as a whole.

There are many web projects featuring the life and work of Emily Dickinson. Explore as many of these sites as fully as you can (and if you’re writing the essay on Dickinson, be sure to delve deeply as you develop your ideas!).

The Dickinson Homestead

1. Take a walk outside, observe some aspect of nature, and write a Dickinson-style poem about what you see.

2. Write a love letter in the inimitable Dickinson style. (Okay, we know: if it’s inimitable, why are we asking you to imitate it? Well, try it anyway!)

3. Write a "love letter" (letter of appreciation/praise) to Dickinson using her letter-writing style. You might, for example, tell her how much the world has fallen in love with her since her death.