By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘She sights a Bird – she chuckles’: so begins an underappreciated little poem by Emily Dickinson (1830-86), and – for our money – one of the most evocative poems ever penned about a cat. The way Dickinson describes the predatory stalking and waiting of the feline subject is delicious. Here we’re going to stop and analyse how Dickinson uses language and imagery to evoke a cat’s movement and poise when on the hunt for prey.