Poems: Three Series, Complete in Bloomington, MN

Dickinson left no formal statement of her aesthetic intentions and, because of the variety of her themes, her work does not fit conveniently into any one genre. She has been regarded, alongside Emerson (whose poems Dickinson admired), as a Transcendentalist. However, Farr disagrees with this analysis, saying that Dickinson's "relentlessly measuring mind ... deflates the airy elevation of the Transcendental" Apart from the major themes discussed below, Dickinson's poetry frequently uses humor, puns, irony and satire.