ElizabethBarrettBrowning
Bornin1806atCoxhoeHall,Durham,England,ElizabethBarrett,wasanEnglishpoetoftheRomanticMovement.Theoldestoftwelvechildren,ElizabethwasthefirstinherfamilyborninEnglandinovertwohundredyears.Forcenturies,theBarrettfamily,whowerepartCreole,hadlivedinJamaica,wheretheyownedsugarplantationsandreliedonslavelabor.Elizabeth’sfather,EdwardBarrettMoultonBarrett,chosetoraisehisfamilyinEngland,whilehisfortunegrewinJamaica.Educatedathome,ElizabethapparentlyhadreadpassagesfromParadiseLostandanumberofShakespeareanplays,amongothergreatworks,beforetheageoften.Byhertwelfthyearshehadwrittenherfirst"epic"poem,whichconsistedoffourbooksofrhymingcouplets.Twoyearslater,Elizabethdevelopedalungailmentthatplaguedherfortherestofherlife.Doctorsbegantreatingherwithmorphine,whichshewouldtakeuntilherdeath.Whilesaddlingaponywhenshewasfifteen,Elizabethalsosufferedaspinalinjury.Despiteherailments,hereducationcontinuedtoflourish.Throughoutherteenageyears,ElizabethtaughtherselfHebrewsothatshecouldreadtheOldTestament;herinterestslaterturnedtoGreekstudies.AccompanyingherappetitefortheclassicswasapassionateenthusiasmforherChristianfaith.ShebecameactiveintheBibleandMissionarySocietiesofherchurch.
In1826ElizabethanonymouslypublishedhercollectionAnEssayonMindandOtherPoems.Twoyearslater,hermotherpassedaway.TheslowabolitionofslaveryinEnglandandmismanagementoftheplantationsdepletedtheBarrett’sincome,andin1832,Elizabeth’sfathersoldhisruralestateatapublicauction.Hemovedhisfamilytoacoastaltownandrentedcottagesforthenextthreeyears,beforesettlingpermanentlyinLondon.Whilelivingontheseacoast,ElizabethpublishedhertranslationofPrometheusBound(1833),bytheGreekdramatistAeschylus.
Gainingnotorietyforherworkinthe1830s,Elizabethcontinuedtoliveinherfather’sLondonhouseunderhistyrannicalrule.HebegansendingElizabeth’syoungersiblingstoJamaicatohelpwiththefamily’sestates.Elizabethbitterlyopposedslaveryanddidnotwanthersiblingssentaway.Duringthistime,shewroteTheSeraphimandOtherPoems(1838),expressingChristiansentimentsintheformofclassicalGreektragedy.DuetoherweakeningdispositionshewasforcedtospendayearattheseaofTorquayaccompaniedbyherbrotherEdward,whomshereferredtoas"Bro."HedrownedlaterthatyearwhilesailingatTorquayandElizabethreturnedhomeemotionallybroken,becominganinvalidandarecluse.Shespentthenextfiveyearsinherbedroomatherfather’shome.Shecontinuedwriting,however,andin1844producedacollectionentitledsimplyPoems.ThisvolumegainedtheattentionofpoetRobertBrowning,whoseworkElizabethhadpraisedinoneofherpoems,andhewroteheraletter.
ElizabethandRobert,whowassixyearsherjunior,exchanged574lettersoverthenexttwentymonths.Immortalizedin1930intheplayTheBarrettsofWimpoleStreet,byRudolfBesier(1878-1942),theirromancewasbitterlyopposedbyherfather,whodidnotwantanyofhischildrentomarry.In1846,thecoupleelopedandsettledinFlorence,Italy,whereElizabeth’shealthimprovedandsheboreason,RobertWidemanBrowning.Herfatherneverspoketoheragain.Elizabeth’sSonnetsfromthePortuguese,dedicatedtoherhusbandandwritteninsecretbeforehermarriage,waspublishedin1850.CriticsgenerallyconsidertheSonnets—oneofthemostwidelyknowncollectionsoflovelyricsinEnglish—tobeherbestwork.AdmirershavecomparedherimagerytoShakespeareandheruseoftheItalianformtoPetrarch.
PoliticalandsocialthemesembodyElizabeth’slaterwork.SheexpressedherintensesympathyforthestrugglefortheunificationofItalyinCasaGuidiWindows(1848-51)andPoemsBeforeCongress(1860).In1857BrowningpublishedherversenovelAuroraLeigh,whichportraysmaledominationofawoman.InherpoetryshealsoaddressedtheoppressionoftheItaliansbytheAustrians,thechildlaborminesandmillsofEngland,andslavery,amongothersocialinjustices.Althoughthisdecreasedherpopularity,ElizabethwasheardandrecognizedaroundEurope.
ElizabethBarrettBrowningdiedinFlorenceonJune29,1861.
ASelectedBibliography
Poetry
TheBattleofMarathon:APoem(1820)
AnEssayonMind,withOtherPoems(1826)
MiscellaneousPoems(1833)
TheSeraphimandOtherPoems(1838)
Poems(1844)
ADramaofExile:andotherPoems(1845)
Poems:NewEdition(1850)
ThePoemsofElizabethBarrettBrowning(1850)
SonnetsfromthePortuguese(1850)
CasaGuidiWindows:APoem(1851)
Poems:ThirdEdition(1853)
TwoPoems(1854)
Poems:FourthEdition(1856)
AuroraLeigh(1857)
NapoleonIIIinItaly,andOtherPoems(1860)
PoemsbeforeCongress(1860)
LastPoems(1862)
TheCompletePoeticalWorksofElizabethBarrettBrowning(1900)
ElizabethBarrettBrowning:HithertoUnpublishedPoemsandStories(1914)
NewPoemsbyRobertandElizabethBarrettBrowning(1914)
Prose
"QueenAnnelidaandFalseArcite;""TheComplaintofAnnelidatoFalseArcite,"(1841)
ANewSpiritoftheAge(1844)
"TheDaughtersofPandarus"fromtheOdyssey(1846)
TheGreekChristianPoetsandtheEnglishPoets(1863)
PsycheApocalyptè:ALyricalDrama(1876)
LettersofElizabethBarrettBrowningAddressedtoRichardHengistHorne(1877)
TheLettersofElizabethBarrettBrowning(1897)
ThePoet’sEnchiridion(1914)
LetterstoRobertBrowningandOtherCorrespondentsbyElizabethBarrettBrowning(1916)
ElizabethBarrettBrowning:LetterstoHerSister,1846-1859(1929)
LettersfromElizabethBarretttoB.R.Haydon(1939)
TwentyUnpublishedLettersofElizabethBarretttoHughStuartBoyd(1950)
NewLettersfromMrs.BrowningtoIsaBlagden(1951)
TheUnpublishedLettersofElizabethBarrettBrowningtoMaryRussellMitford(1954)
UnpublishedLettersofElizabethBarrettBrowningtoHughStuartBoyd(1955)
LettersoftheBrowningstoGeorgeBarrett(1958)
DiarybyE.B.B.:TheUnpublishedDiaryofElizabethBarrettBrowning,1831-1832(1969)
TheLettersofRobertBrowningandElizabethBarrettBrowning,1845-1846(1969)
InvisibleFriends(1972)
ElizabethBarrettBrowning’sLetterstoMrs.DavidOgilvy,1849-1861(1973)
Anthology
PrometheusBound(1833)
