There's A Certain Slant Of Light

Emily Dickinson is one of the most recognized and influential American poets. Her unique style was initially rejected by publishers, as her work was heavily edited when first published and only during the 1950s did scholars work to return her poetry to its intended form. In addition, her distinct use of punctuation and her ambiguous thematic subjects contribute to the difficulty in classifying her poetry. Scholars place her work in a variety of movements, including Transcendentalism, Romanticism, Realism, and proto-Modernism.

“There’s a certain Slant of light” is a lyric poem published posthumously in 1890. Commonly anthologized, this poem is emblematic of both Dickinson’s style and themes. Dense and ambiguous, the poem describes a beam of light and compares it to cathedral music so that the speaker can consider the spiritual effects of the light. The poem’s themes of religion, death, and despair are prominent across Dickinson’s work.

Dickinson’s poetry is often anthologized and taught in English classes for middle school through university students in the United States.

Poet Biography

American poet Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts.