| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語研究所 === 92 === This thesis proposes to investigate Emily Dickinson’s pursuit for autonomy and individuality through the metamorphosis of stone baptism in petrifaction. Dickinson’s seclusion like stone is considered not as a passive protest against convention and confinement, but as an active declaration for distinction in playfulness. The discussion of her petrifaction imagery in Dickinson’s literary works can be divided into six parts. In the introductory chapter, Dickinson’s stone images as her daring adventure into a solitary confrontation with herself are examined with the acknowledgements of previous scholars. Following are the four chapters on the petrifaction phenomena in Dickinson’s works. In the first chapter, the poet’s identification with the little pebble in nature is considered as a process of petrifaction for her self-quest of intellectual sovereignty as well as an articulation of the poetic transcendence over secular evaluation. The second chapter will scrutinize Dickinson’s petrifaction as a justification of her anticipation for artistic excellence and intellectual immortality through the monumentalization in the gravestone imagery. In chapter three, the metamorphosis through jewelry imagery indicates the possible resurrection that the changing nature has practiced for ages and the prefiguration for future elevation in the purification of petrifaction. In the fourth chapter, the playfulness in the stone image of death is explained as the grand experience of encountering the infinite other and an exploration of the self in satiety and contentment. In the concluding chapter, Dickinson’s pilgrimage for self-fulfillment and artistic individuality are reaffirmed again to propose a potential through the power of words in petrifaction process, for eternal grace not in heaven, but on earth.
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