In this insightful explication of Dickinson"s work, Elizabeth Phillips argues that the Amherst poet "assumed many personae" and that "the experiences in the poems are often transformations of episodes in the lives of personal friends, literary characters, and historical figures for whom a fictive "I" is only a convenient term." The intention of this book is not strictly biographical, but the life of Dickinson is portrayed and interpreted. Instead of the stereotypical image of Emily Dickinson as the New England Nun, we see instead a real woman living quietly and working hard at home, full of concern for those she loves, deeply affected by the issues of her day, interacting intensely with the world around her through poetry and letters. The author challenges many of those interpretations of Dickinson"s life and poetry that have become almost standard and universally accepted. This should be a valuable book for the Dickinson scholar.