The main purpose of this work is to analyse suffering as the theme and the strategy of the creative processes of Emily Dickinson. The analysis has been based on Julia Kristeva's theory of subjectivity. Her concept of the creative process points to two levels of the literary text. In Kristeva's terms the semiotic level corresponds to the depressive position of the subject, while the symbolic one to its overcoming through language. The semiotic level is characterised by those elements of speech which are preverbal, unutterable and connected with the experience of being a part of a mother's body. In Emily Dickinson's poetry the semiotic elements are responsible for making many fragments of her texts incomprehensible and hermetic. The symbolic level pertains to the denotative meanings of words, which render the texts easier for interpretation. This level, called by Kristeva “paternal,” is a sign of conquering the inability for communication. It coordinates the language and is the textual sign of overcoming depression. It is this double dimension of the text that became central in analysing suffering as a poetic strategy in Emily Dickinson's poetic texts. According to Kristeva, during the act of creation, suffering and depressiveness are transformed into the conscious strategy of writing. In this way suffering can become the theme and the form of the poetic process. This transformation is the subject of a thorough analysis in this thesis. In Emily Dickinson's poetry lack – understood as an emotional deprivation – becomes the source of creativity.