This is the most profound and challenging interpretation of Dickinson I have ever encountered. It certainly should be on the required reading list of any serious scholar attempting to understand the true spirit of Dickinson. The book does a wonderful job of demonstrating Dickinson's place within her time and society. It forces the reader to reconsider conventional views on the "why" of Dickinson's poetry. Beth Maclay Doriani has done a superb job. I look forward to Doriani's next work.