Words; phrases, and lines of poetry composed by Dickinson, within a given poem, are also typically set off, bookend-like (if not ruptured entirely at the center) by her liberal use of various punctuation "slices" (or perhaps "splices" is the better word) appearing most often in the form of either short and/or longer dashes (or combinations of these), e.g.: "-"; and/or " -- ."
Quite often too (and in many places simultaneously as well) various phrases and/or lines of Emily Dickinson's poems are further "infiltrated" by the appearance of words suddenly capitalized mid-sentence (for emphasis; this would be equivalent to italicizing or underlining a word today). The effect is to force breath between words or phrases as one reads or speaks the line. One such example can be found in Dickinson's #258 ("There's a certain Slant of light"): "Shadows - hold their breath -- (line 14)." A pause is forced after "Shadows"; another after "breaths." Dickinson's frequent capitalization of words, not just at the beginning of a line, but...
For instance, again in Dickinson's "258," in the first line "There's a certain Slant of light," "Slant" need not ordinarily be capitalized.
Moreover, no poem by Emily Dickinson has a title the author herself gave it; each as originally published had only a publication number (e.g., "1129") among the 2000 or so published after she died). Therefore, one actually need read no further than the title (which is always just a number) to know that the poem is by Dickinson! Such unusual thematic; stylistic, structural -- and other - traits of Emily Dickinson's literary artistry and genius allow - or - perhaps more accurately -insist -:
We rediscover
Their Author --, as That One and Em'ly
Dickinson! -- No Other!
Works Cited
The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson. Thomas H. Johnson (Ed.). New York:
Back Bay, January 30, 1976.
