Customer Reviews

Emily Dickinson : Selected Poems (Cliffs Notes)

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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.