I dwell in Possibility – Summary & Analysis
by Emily Dickinson

Question about this poem?
Have a question about this poem?
Have a specific question about this poem?
Have a specific question about this poem?
Have a specific question about this poem?
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
Ask us
Ask us
Ask a question
Ask a question
Ask a question

Emily Dickinson's "I dwell in Possibility" was first published four years after Dickinson's death, in the posthumous collection Poems (1890). In the poem, a speaker juxtaposes her own metaphorical house, called "Possibility," with an inferior house called "Prose," making it clear that the poem is meta-poetry—poetry about poetry. The speaker discusses what makes this house of poetic possibility great, claiming it offers her a way into "paradise" itself. The poem is a powerful tribute to the imaginative possibilities of poetry—the art form to which Dickinson dedicated her life.

Get
Get
LitCharts
Get the entire guide to “I dwell in Possibility –” as a printable PDF.
Download