“Every time a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon” (Dickinson, n.d.). At first glance, this statement by Emily Dickinson conveys a negative attitude towards the unique and the new. However, according to a second interpretation, this quote manages to perfectly encapsulate the very essence of the Romantic era as well as Dickinson's immense influence on the literary schools of thought of the time. This essay will discuss this influence in detail. First, for the sake of context, a brief explanation of the Romantic era and a definition of Romanticism will be provided. Next, the forces at work during the Romantic era will be explained by referring to some of Dickinson's poems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Simply put, romance is “the establishment of human life on a pure basis of feeling” (Sreedharan, 2004: 128). For the Romantics, the medium of feeling or emotion did not replace the medium of thought. Instead, the medium of feeling was the medium of thought. Historical context is key when talking about the Romantic era. During this time, the world and, more specifically, the literary community experienced a wave of freedom in terms of ideas and schools of belief. One of the most important schools of thought was the reaction to the rationalization of science and the rise of individuality in artistic works. Such themes are addressed in Emily Dickinson's Wild Nights (Dickinson, 1999), a poem written in a time when women's liberation, particularly women's sexual liberation, was decidedly taboo. In the poem, the speaker fantasizes about the nights she would spend with her lover. In addition to the short poem's brazen sexual undertones that are conveyed through words like "our luxury!" (Dickinson, 1999:1:IV), Dickinson's work also speaks to the changes experienced by the intellectual community at the height of Romanticism. One of these changes is the rise of individuality and personal perspective in literary works. The lines "Done with compass - Done with paper!" (Dickinson, 1999: 2: VI-VII) suggest that the poet, as a representative intellectual of Romanticism, is charting his own path without the help of the literary works that preceded him. And Dickinson's personal writing style and unique use of grammar testify to the Romantic emphasis on experimentation. For example, his poetry makes extensive use of hyphens, as seen in lines such as "Rowing in Eden -", (Dickinson, 1999:3:IX) and "Ah - the sea!" (Dickinson, 1999: 3:X) in Wild Nights. What could be interpreted as a simple pause is instead Dickinson conveying the speaker's apprehension towards the almost infinite liberation (the sea) that lies before her. In addition to the emphasis on feeling and emotion, the Romantic era also influenced individuals to focus less on rational experience and instead turn their attention to aesthetic experience. An important component of this experience was a newfound interest in nature; Fittingly, references to nature and all its wonders can be found in nearly all of Dickinson's poems. His use of the sea as a metaphor for personal liberation in Wild Nights, Wild Nights is just one prime example. But Dickinson's use of natural imagery does not end with the environment. He made extensive use of animal imagery in his poems to convey his themes. A prime example would be the figure of a tiny bird as a representation of the persistence of hope in his poem “Hope” is the thing with Feathers (Dickinson,.