Emily Dickinson : Selected Poems (Cliffs Notes) [Paperback]

Mordecai Marcus (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0822004321 | ISBN-13: 978-0822004325 | Publication Date: May 17, 1982

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background — all to help you gain greater insight into great works you're bound to study for school or pleasure.

In CliffsNotes on Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems, you explore some 85 poems from one of America's favorite and best poets. This guide introduces you to the major themes of Dickinson's work and shows how her poems address these themes. You also find insight into her technique, tone, and methods for writing poetry.

In this study guide, you'll find Life and Background on the Author, as well as essays on Dickinson's ideas and poetic methods. You'll also find detailed analyses of Dickinson's poems that address the following themes:

• Nature: Scene and Meaning
• Poetry, Art, and Imagination
• Friendship, Love, and Society
• Suffering and Growth
• Death, Immortality, and Religion

Classic literature or modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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Product Details

• Paperback: 102 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes (May 17, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822004321
• ISBN-13: 978-0822004325
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,428,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful look at Emily Dickinson's and her poems, May 31, 2010

By 

William Polm (North-western Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emily Dickinson : Selected Poems (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

Numerous times I have found Cliffs notes helpful. The ones I have purchased have always been written by people that are experts in the field covered by the book, and that is true of this book too. It is filled with eye-opening insights.

I like Cliffs Notes because for the time spent, they yield a lot of information. Sure, I can read the 821 page "The Life of Emily Dickinson" by Richard B. Sewall for helpful background on her life (matter of fact I do have the book and have read portions, and it is quite good), but what if I want a well-written summarized biographical essay that I can read in a few minutes and then get to the poems? This Cliff's Notes book has it, pages 5 through 11.

The book also deals with the texts of the poems and letters, Dickinson's ideas, and her poetic methods. All of this is essential introductory material.

The author then dives into the poems, analyzing them in sections that correspond to Dickinson's 5 major subject matter areas: (1) Nature; (2) Poetry, Art and Imagination; (3)Friendship, Love and Society; (4) Suffering and Growth; and (5) Death, Immortality and Religion. A generous number of poems is included in each section.

Next the author gives one line summaries for 40 more poems.

There are also Questions for Review, a Bibliography, and an Index of First Lines.

In some circles, Cliffs Notes have a reputation as a quick and easy way to "read" a classic for a class in high school or college. Read Cliffs Notes on Hamlet and you can skip reading the play but sound like you really did read Shakespeare. There is a warning in caps on the inside of the front cover that the book is not intended as a substitute for the text itself.

But I'm not in any class. I'm on my own, and I find Cliffs Notes very often more helpful than obviously scholarly-type works, for a quick but detailed and accessible overview of a subject,

This book is an excellent, thorough and helpful overview.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in Emily Dickinson's poetry.