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Abstract
The following study examines Emily Dickinsons characterization of nature especially regarding natures spiritual significance and the extent to which that significance may be conceptually interpreted and translated into language. To elucidate Dickinsons particular view, I describe the poets response to empirical, Puritan, and transcendental philosophies of nature, traditions which also sought to explain natures spiritual significance. This study highlights the ways in which Dickinson opposed the hermeneutic presumption implied by Puritan and transcendental theories but saw all three traditions as sources for creative appropriation as she formed her unique conception of nature and language.