text: This collection of poems, tho representing a fine breadth of Dickenson's works, is in final assessment a crime against the poet's great talent.  As is freely admitted in the introduction, the editor, Mr. Higginson, "worked on the mechanics of the poems by smoothing out the rhymes and meter, changing the line arrangements, and rewriting the dialect of the local area."  This is a free admission of the book's guilt, having adulterated Dickenson's original poems in both content and form.  Gone are the nuances and passions that make Dickenson one of the best American writers.  Gone are the premeditated dashed and capitalizations that add depth and intensity to the poems' meanings.  And, worst of all, gone or altered are many lines that contribute to the unique vision of the artist.  As Thomas H. Johnson says in the Introduction to "The Complete Poems of Emily Dickenson," A representative mid-nineteenth century traditionalist was being asked to judge the work of a wholly new order of craftsman . . . which he was not equipped to estimate."  Do yourself a favor and avoid this text.  Instead, find one that is true to the original poems, one which preserves the intent and stylistic genius of the author, and one which will give you the full and lasting effect of Emily Dickenson
  