Lunacy of Light

"Barker’s graceful and often dramatic prose vividly depicts Dickinson’s poetic vision. . . . Astute and sensitive interpretations."—Wendy Martin, Signs

"Deft and persuasive. . . . Lunacy of Light is an admirable addition to recent studies of Dickinson by feminist critics. It is feminist criticism of the non-castrating kind. It doesn’t warp the poems to fit a dogma or an ideology. At the same time, one finishes the book agreeing with Barker that Dickinson’s handling of light and dark metaphors shows how acutely conscious she was of her alienation from the ‘values and practices’ of her culture."—William G. Heath, New England Quarterly

"Barker authoritatively surveys . . . the use of light and dark imagery in the literature of Western culture, showing that traditionally light has been associated with male power, energy, reason, and God, and dark has traditionally been associated with woman, death, chaos, and Satan. . . . Soundly argued and well documented."—P. J. Ferlazzo, Choice

‘"Wonderfully lucid, and as richly fluent in the realm of functional symbolism as is Dickinson herself, Lunacy of Light should become a source of major enlightenment for future scholars intent on seeking out the intellectual delights amid the sensual riches of this most misunderstood poet."—Bryce Milligan, San Antonio Light

"Knowledgeable, informative, and as witty as she is thorough. . . .  By focusing on how she manipulates common metaphors, Barker shows how Dickinson’s poems work as a critique of culture and an assertion of women’s different sort of strength."—Martha Nell Smith, Women’s Review of Books