For the final quarter of independent reading this school year, I selected The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn.  Not only do I love Dickinson's poetry, but I was also drawn to the book because of the setting.  The opening section takes place at Mount Holyoke College, which Dickinson attended close to its opening.  I am going to attend Mount Holyoke this coming year, and thought it would be interesting to learn more about its history.  It was the first of the Seven Sisters.

The novel begins during Dickinson's time at school.  As one of the first few classes of women to attend, Dickinson knows Mary Lyon, the founder of the college.  Charyn writes in the first person, so it is as if I am reading the words of Dickinson.  Lyon is a strict and rigid mentor.  Upon the opening of the school it was also a seminary, so there is tension between the two characters, for Dickinson is not sure if she believes in a higher power.  The dynamic between the two is intriguing and I am curious to see how their disputes get handled.

Knowing I am going to attend Mount Holyoke, I originally thought that would be the topic of my research to accompanying the reading of the novel.  While the novel gives an interesting look at Lyon and the college at its beginning, I am no longer sure if this is the road I will take.  There certainly is a lot of interesting history behind the school and its role as the first women's college, intended to educate women at a time when this was rare, but this is only one section of the novel.  The focus is on Dickinson, and her character may guide my research toward her life, and she and the history that accompanies her also seems intriguing to me.

Most people know Dickinson for her poems and reclusive tendencies.  These are both a part of the novel, but not yet in the first half or so of the novel.  In fact, at Mount Holyoke, Dickinson is portrayed, based in fact, as outspoken.  She defies Lyon's ideas on a high power, speaks back to the teachers, and spends time with the only male on the property.  Her behavior is striking to me, as I was unaware of the spunk she had when attending schooling.  It is interesting to have my ideas of Dickinson shattered and to have a new picture of what she was truly like arise.  This also makes me wonder what is next to come, for the summary of the novel mentions her shift to a more reclusive life style.  My current thoughts are either that this is just what people saw, or that she changed when her father died, as the two were close.  I cannot wait to find out, and to continue my research upon finishing the novel!