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Jun.2005, Volume 2, No.6 (Serial No.7) US-China Education Review,ISSN1548-6613,USA
74
The US-Sino Two Famous Poetesses
--- Emily Dickinson and Li Qingzhao
Dan Liu* Shaanxi Normal University
Abstract: This paper attempts to make a comparative study on two outstanding woman poets, Emily
Dickinson and Li Qingzhao. It’s worth studying since they share some similarities and differences in themes and
styles of their poetry and both of them exert a great impact on American and Chinese literature respectively.
Key words: Emily Dickinson Li Qingzhao themes styles
1. A Brief Introduction to the Two Poetesses
Emily Dickinson (1830--1886) is widely considered the most original and important woman poet in
American literature. Her unique, gemlike lyrics are distillations of profound feeling and original intellect that
stand outside the mainstream of 19th century American literature. Emily was born in 1830 in the quiet community
of Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father was a prominent lawyer who was active in civic affairs. His three children
thus had the opportunity to meet many distinguished visitors. Emily attended Amherst Academy irregularly for six
years and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for one year, and in those years she lived a normal life filled with
friendships, parties, church, and housekeeping. Before she was 30, however, she began to withdraw from village
activities and spent all her time at home and in her large garden, reading and writing. She wrote altogether about
2000 poems, of which only seven appeared in print in her lifetime.
Li Qingzhao (1084--1151), born in Jinan City of Shandong Province, east China in 1084, is the most
accomplished woman poet in Chinese literary history. Her father was a distinguished scholar, so in her childhood
she had an access to a large number of books and could recite many poems,...