“Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes. was one of Emily Dickinson's most famous quotes, showing much of her shift from romanticism to a more realistic view, and at the same time changing the standards of writing. Between 1858 and 1864, Emily Dickinson wrote more than forty hand-bound volumes of nearly 1,800 poems, but during her lifetime only a few were published. Perhaps this is why we consider Dickinson a very influential writer today, unlike those of her time who did not see the potential. Emily Dickinson wrote most of her works toward the end of the Romantic era, but she considered herself more of a realist, ahead of her time and capable of shaping the new movement. The main characteristic of romanticism that Dickinson describes in her writings emphasizes the importance of nature to the romantics, but she is known as realist because of her concern and fascination with death and the harsh realities of life. life. Emily Dickinson's upbringing and early education, as well as living in seclusion with death all around her, greatly influenced one of the greatest female poets of all time. Dickinson's life was pretty normal compared to most, except for a few key things. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her family with deep roots in New England. His paternal grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was well known as the founder of Amherst College and his father worked in Amherst and was a state legislator. He married Emily Norcross in 1828 and the couple had three children: William Austin and Lavinia Norcross (Bio.com). Due to her family background and despite being a woman of the time, many of whom were not allowed to receive an education, she went to both A...... middle of paper.. ....ickinson-9274190 > "Emily Dickinson." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, nd Web. May 15, 2014. Johnson, Tamara, ed. Readings on Dickinson. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1997. Print.Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, nd Web. May 13, 2014. .Shackford, Martha Hale. “The Poetry of Emily Dickinson.” The Atlantic Monthly 3.1 (January 1913): 93-97. Rep. in 19th century literary criticism. Ed. Janet Mullane and Robert Thomas Wilson. Flight. 21. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. Information Resource Center. Internet. May 16, 2014. “Important to American Literature – Emily Dickinson 101.” Important to American Literature – Emily Dickinson 101. Google Sites, nd Web. May 22 2014. .