THE SOUL SELECTS HER OWN SOCIETY

By Emily Dickinson
The Soul selects her own Society —
Then — shuts the Door —
To her divine Majority —
Present no more —
Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing —
At her low Gate —
Unmoved — an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat —
I’ve known her — from an ample nation —
Choose One —
Then — close the Valves of her attention —
Like Stone —

II . CRITICAL RECEPTION:
“The verb TO BE is no more than an auxiliary here in passive construction” (page 134)
“I appears merely as a copula-verb to pave the way to the significant complement.” (page 133)
“The poem is musical and seems to be lighthearted” . “ The iambic meter and slant rhyme dictate
the prosodic regimen. The first two lines built up and alliteration: a hissing s-soundmakes this play
with words quite unforgettable. “ (page 141)
“It is also significant that the Soul is a she - like the poet herself.” (page 141)
“The epithet “divine” for Majority must have ironical connotations for the puritanical community”
(page 141)
“Emily Dickinson’s writings - whether letters or poems - are all under an autobiographical spell as
meant originally for intimate reading.” (page 142)
“Because of all of a sudden there are three selves present here: “I”, “her”, plus the enigmatic “One”
of her exclusive and august election. “ ( page 141)

(Romantic Renderings of Selfhood in Classic American Literature, Anca Peiu, Editura C.H.
Beck, Bucuresti, 2017)
‘’This is the “imperial soul” that makes its own rules and sets its own boundaries.’’ (page 140)
‘’Yet the soul’s selectivity is evoked negatively, as an exclusion of others, and its conclusion is
ominous, suggesting a rigidity and a shutting down of the heart.’ (page 152)

‘’On one level, this work may be seen as one of Dickinson’s DEFINITION POEMS, in which the Soul is
defined, not in terms of what it is, but of what it does. The Soul, in this poem, has essentially two
interconnected “actions”—selecting (select, choose) and excluding (shut, close).’’ (page 202)

( Critical companion to Emily Dickinson - A literary Reference to her life and work, Sharon Leiter,
Facts on File, New York, 2006)

MAIN IDEAS TO REMEMBER :  Feminism for the 19th Century

 Celebration of Selfhood  Independence, Autonomy
 Soul is feminine - Emily’s soul
 The soul is active
 Irrational choices