18 pages • 36 minutes read
Emily DickinsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“‘Faith’ is a fine invention” by Emily Dickinson (1860)
Dickinson’s elusive relationship with religion continues in “‘Faith’ is a fine invention,” where Dickinson acknowledges that “spirituality” can come in handy, though it’s not as practical as tangible instruments like “Microscopes” (Line 3). In dialogue with “Wild nights - Wild nights!,” faith turns into “luxury” (Line 4)—something that not everyone can afford to possess. The poem connects to Sarah Arvio’s claim that Dickinson’s speaker addresses God in “Wild nights - Wild nights!” If the speaker had the “luxury” to fully believe in God, the two could go on an epic adventure together.
“What Soft—Cherubic Creatures” by Emily Dickinson (1862)
In this poem, Dickinson parodies women who present themselves as too fragile for the world. The dainty depiction contrasts with the forceful portrayal of the speaker and addressee in “Wild nights - Wild nights!,” where the two have the power to embark on a sea adventure.
“I had been hungry, all the Years” by Emily Dickinson (1862)
The poem links to the themes of The Allure of Frenzied Feelings and Absence versus Presence. In “I had been hungry, all the Years,” the hungry speaker finally sits down to eat and the full feeling disappoints them. The reality of food didn’t live up to the fantasy. A similar dynamic arguably applies to “Wild nights - Wild nights!” The addressee’s absence allows the speaker to work themselves into a frenzy over their potential presence, yet the addressee's physical presence, like the physical food, might not live up to the fantasy.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)
Wuthering Heights is Brontë’s jarring novel about the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. Like the speaker and the addressee in “Wild nights - Wild nights!,” Heathcliff and Catherine have an intense relationship. Though Heathcliff and Catherine regularly interact with each other in real life, their passion relies on absence—that is, they can’t actually be together.
“Wild Night” by Van Morrison (1971)
Van Morrison’s pop-rock song about wild nights mimics the feverish tone of Dickinson’s poem. The guitars, drums, trumpet, and sax team with Morrison’s giddy voice to create an uproarious atmosphere. Unlike Dickinson’s poem, Morrison’s wild night is rather conventional, featuring “boys,” “girls,” and dancing.
Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson’s Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson edited by Ellen Louis Hart and Martha Nell Smith (2019)
Open Me Carefully provides a comprehensive introduction to Emily and Susan’s relationship. The book includes the surviving notes and poems that the two women sent each other, and it features biographical information that details the background of each woman.
Hear the award-winning British actress Helen Mirren read Dickinson’s epistolary poem and notice how she conveys the ecstatic tone through an excited whisper.
By Emily Dickinson