Late DickinsonIn Praise of Blandness, Agedness, and Oblivion

This article further investigates Dickinson’s Chinese aesthetic under the rubric of Blandness, Agedness and Oblivion, a strand of poetic development in Dickinson’s late years. Echoing In Praise of Blandness by Francois Jullien, a French Sinologist, this critical framework mainly derives from a nuanced reinterpretation of “The Gentian has a parched Corolla -” (Fr1458/1877). The discussion also covers some infrequently studied poems, making a case for their cross-cultural significances and implications for reexamining Dickinson’s late mind. Dickinson’s celebrating Blandness, Agedness and Oblivion closely connects with her principle of Use of Uselessness and her practicing a wandering at ease, which in her late years is reassessed and reconfirmed. Reading Dickinson’s late letters from the Chinese perspective aims at illustrating aspects of her life and roles she has played, disabusing the image of an aloof recluse.