How does Emily Dickinson‘s "I heard a Fly buzz – when I died–" reflect and critique 19th-century American cultural and religious perceptions of death and the afterlife? E-Book

Felix Konermann

• Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Seminar paper from the year 2025 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Osnabrück (Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Emily Dickinson, language: English, abstract: This term paper explores how Emily Dickinson’s renowned poem “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died–” critiques 19th-century American cultural and religious ideals surrounding death and the afterlife. Through close textual analysis and contextual insights, it argues that Dickinson subverts dominant Christian narratives of a peaceful, transcendent death by emphasizing ambiguity, physical decay, and existential isolation. The paper combines literary interpretation, historical background, and philosophical theory (including references to Heidegger’s Being-towards-death) to highlight Dickinson’s radical approach to mortality. A must-read for students of American literature, poetry analysis, and cultural studies.