ED
was troubled by poor eyesight, beginning in the fall of 1861 when her vision was seriously impaired. She consulted doctors about her sight in 1864 and 1865 to good effect. However, biographer Cynthia Griffin Wolff
Textual Features
Emily Dickinson
Biographer Cynthia Griffin Wolff
suggests that the published poems tackle topics deemed suitable for the pen of woman, as suggested by their titles: The Sleeping, Sunset, and The Snake.
The first thing that a reader notices about ED
's poetry is her inventive use of informal punctuation such as dashes, which enhance the elliptical and ambivalent quality of her themes.
