Emily Dickinson and Japan

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23520348
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Kobe College
• Principal Investigator: UNO Hiroko 神戸女学院大学, 文学部, 教授 (30145718)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: エミリ・ディキンスン / ペリーの日本遠征 / 植物標本作成 / 日本の花 / 日米文化交流 / ウィリアム・クラーク / 新島襄

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the herbarium made by Emily Dickinson there are several species of Japanese flowers which could not have been obtained in the United States those years. As a result of investigating at Harvard University Herbarium and so on, I concluded that there is a possibility that some specimens are from Perry's expedition to Japan, considering that she visited Washington just after their arrival there, that a conservatory was built at her house just after the visit, and that one of the collectors on the expedition, Samuel Williams, was a missionary sent by American Board, which was connected with the Dickinsons.
William Clark turned out to be another possible route. He lived in her neighborhood as Professor at Amherst College and had been keeping a herbarium since his boyhood. Besides, he also made a conservatory in his house at the same period as Dickinson's. The Japonism in New England in the 1860s and Dickinson's connection with Joseph Neesima are still under investigation.

Free Research Field

アメリカ文学