Emily Dickinson Writes About Her Man

As discussed in class, Dickinson had a few unrequited loves (the lawyer and the reverend), which possibly affected her reclusive nature. In her poem,I Cannot Live With You (640), we see a more confessional, yet still cryptic, poem about a love that cannot be. Read the poem, and the corresponding article if you have time, and look for the clues in the poem that would help you infer that she is indeed writing about one of the unattainable men in her life.

By the way, this picture of Emily is the only authenticated photo of her after childhood. Some people say she has an eerie, sly look about her that suggests that her secretiveness is her strength, like she has one over on us. Or she's just a kooky recluse.