The 'Butterfly' in the Poetry of Emily Dickinson

A B S T R A C T This thesis explores the significance of the butterfly motif in the poetry of Emily Dickinson. The first two parts form the theoretical background of the thesis, i.e. they deal with the life and poetry of Dickinson with focus on the poems on nature (and insects). The butterfly motif is introduced from the perspective of mythology in different cultures of the world and then within a framework of English and American literature. The practical part establishes, on the basis of the analysis of fifty poems in total, two main thematic areas: the butterfly as a symbol of beauty and the butterfly as a product (or part) of metamorphosis. In addition to emphasizing the individual thematic contexts in which the butterfly appears in Dickinson's poetry, the thesis also tries to determine the symbolic value of the motif in her verse