Howe and Dickinson

The Susan Howe excerpt that we had to read was interesting because after having read her comments on Emily Dickinson’s poetry, we were able to read some of her own poetry. In similarity to Dickinson’s poetry, they both defy the norms as her title implies, The Nonconformist's Memorial. In my opinion, the way she writes her poems may also be a symbol in itself complimenting the text. This form of writing has broadened the definition and understanding of scholarly works. As Harris mentions in the chapter “Countering,” we should not rebut the views of other writers but rather bring to light the unquestioned aspects of a text. This leads to the question of what can be or is considered as scholarly today since the term has broadened. A scholar is defined as a learned individual in one or more disciplines. Therefore, does it mean that any person who is knowledgeable in a particular area can be considered a scholar and that the material they produce be considered scholarly?