Mary Shelley & Emily Dickinson
Women's Roles Then and Now: A Dialogue between Mary Shelley and Emily Dickinson
Mary and Emily are having an afternoon tea at Emily's Homestead garden. In the midst of enjoying the different flowering plants that Emily had planted in the garden, the women talked about and compared their lives way back in 19th century Western society and in the present time.
MARY: I know I should not be surprised anymore, but news of another reprint and publication of my novel, Frankenstein, still amazes me. Imagine the literary and commercial success of the novel! And both critics and literary scholars hail me as one of the pillars of modernist thought in 19th century English literature. To think that during my time, they even doubted that someone like me, a woman, would be able to write a novel as groundbreaking, thought-provoking, and, as they say -- "modern"!
EMILY: I understand you completely, Mary. I was also criticized in the same way I was loved because of my poetry. People who love my poetry consider me a "modern American poet," but my critics think otherwise. They say that I am not a poet, because I do not follow or respect the technical rules, specifically, metric structures that poems must adhere to. And they say I use a lot of dashes, imagine! Not to mention that I have poems that would be regarded during our time -- and in my society -- as bold for a woman to speak...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now