FROM DICKINSON TO PLATH: ART AS A MIRROR OF THE ARTIST

Abstract

The following essay examines the role of the artist within her art through an analysis of the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath. Although each poet wrote clearly different work, their canons are intertwined at certain points, particularly in regards to the ideas of eternity, mirrors, and artists. I seek to identify those points of intersection, as well as explore the concept of self-reflexivity within art. Through conducting close reading of several poems from each author, as well as considering their work in the contexts of their lives, I strive to explore the ways art and artists become indistinguishable from one another. I explore the idea of art as a mirror and as a distortion of reality, as well as art as a tool for subverting societal norms and expectations. Both themes are important to the work of Dickinson and Plath, and considering the authors together gives insight into what it means to be a female artist during different periods in American history.