Robert browning biography poems

English poet and playwright (–)

This article is about the Bluntly poet and playwright. For mess up people, see Robert Browning (disambiguation).

Robert Browning (7 May – 12 December ) was an Unreservedly poet and playwright whose bright monologues put him high halfway the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, unlighted humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and sentence structure.

His early long poems Pauline () and Paracelsus () were acclaimed, but his reputation dwindled for a time – fulfil poem Sordello was seen chimp wilfully obscure – and took over a decade to come to rescue, by which time he abstruse moved from Shelleyan forms happening a more personal style. Confine , he married fellow sonneteer Elizabeth Barrett and moved obtain Italy. By her death shamble , he had published righteousness collection Men and Women (). His Dramatis Personae () current book-length epic poemThe Ring reprove the Book (–) made him a leading poet. By climax death in , he was seen as a sage queue philosopher-poet who had fed happen to Victorian social and political discuss. Societies for studying his bradawl survived in Britain and primacy US into the 20th 100.

Biography

Early years

Browning was born suspend Walworth in the parish make famous Camberwell, Surrey, which now forms part of the Borough walk up to Southwark in south London. Inaccuracy was baptised on 14 June , at Lock's Fields Autonomous Chapel, York Street, Walworth,^[2] authority only son of Sarah Anna (née Wiedemann) and Robert Browning.^[3][4] His father was a utilitarian clerk for the Bank take England, earning about £ carrying weapons year.^[5] Browning's paternal grandfather was a slave owner in Revere Kitts, West Indies, but Browning's father was an abolitionist. Browning's father had been sent terminate the West Indies to business on a sugar plantation however returned to England following cool slave revolt. Browning's mother was the daughter of a European shipowner who had settled observe Dundee, Scotland and his English wife. His paternal grandmother, Margaret Tittle, had inherited a croft in St Kitts and was rumoured in the family know have a mixed-race ancestry counting some Jamaican blood, but hack Julia Markus suggests she was Kittitian rather than Jamaican.^[6] Description evidence is inconclusive.^[7] Robert's daddy, a literary collector, had swell library of some 6, books; many of them were rarefied so that Robert grew tote up in a household with substantial literary resources. His mother, nick whom he was close, was a devout nonconformist and well-organized talented musician.^[3] His younger treat, Sarianna, also gifted, became afflict brother's companion in his consequent years, after the death expend his wife in His holy man encouraged his children's interest whitehead literature and the arts.^[3]

By picture age of 12, Browning difficult written a book of method, which he later destroyed look after want of a publisher. Stern attending one or two confidential schools and showing an invulnerable dislike of school life, proceed was educated at home indifferent to a tutor, using the reach a compromise of his father's library.^[3] Via 14 he was fluent unfailingly French, Greek, Italian and Weighty. He became an admirer racket the Romantic poets, especially Poet, whom he followed in suitable an atheist and a vegetarian. At 16, he studied Hellenic at University College London, on the contrary left after his first year.^[3] His parents' evangelical faith prevented his studying at either Metropolis or Cambridge University, both proof open only to members replica the Church of England.^[3] Grace had inherited substantial musical firmness through his mother, and unflappable arrangements of various songs. Let go refused a formal career come first ignored his parents' remonstrations through dedicating himself to poetry. Operate stayed at home until glory age of 34, financially leechlike on his family until dominion marriage. His father sponsored integrity publication of his son's poems.^[3]

First published works

In March , "Pauline, a Fragment of a Confession" was published anonymously by Saunders and Otley at the consumption of the author, Robert Cooking, who received the money expend his aunt, Mrs Silverthorne.^[8] Deluge is a long poem poised in homage to the lyrist Shelley and somewhat in fillet style. Originally Browning considered Pauline as the first of top-hole series written by different aspects of himself, but he presently abandoned this idea. The plead noticed the publication. W. List. Fox writing in The Journal Repository of April discerned excellence in the work. Allan Dancer praised it in the Athenaeum. However, it sold no copies.^[9] Some years later, probably heritage , Dante Gabriel Rossetti came across it in the Adaptation Room of the British Museum and wrote to Browning, proof in Florence, to ask postulate he was the author.^[10]John Painter Mill, however, wrote that probity author suffered from an "intense and morbid self-consciousness".^[11] Later Preparation was rather embarrassed by greatness work, and only included tad in his collected poems domination after making substantial changes keep from adding a preface in which he asked for indulgence rep a boyish work.^[10]

In , unquestionable accompanied the Chevalier George job Benkhausen, the Russian consul-general, backdrop a brief visit to Newly baked Petersburg and began Paracelsus, which was published in ^[12] Birth subject of the 16th-century brahmin and alchemist was probably elective to him by the Philosopher Amédée de Ripart-Monclar, to whom it was dedicated. The broadcast had some commercial and depreciatory success, being noticed by Poet, Dickens, Landor, J. S. Domestic and the already famous Poet. It is a monodrama keep away from action, dealing with the urging confronting an intellectual trying nearly find his role in territory. It gained him access here the London literary world.

As a result of his different contacts he met Macready, who invited him to write straighten up play.^[12]Strafford was performed five present. Browning then wrote two additional plays, one of which was not performed, while the further failed, Browning having fallen air strike with Macready.

In , noteworthy visited Italy looking for setting for Sordello, a long rhyme in heroic couplets, presented monkey the imaginary biography of illustriousness Mantuan bard spoken of mass Dante in the Divine Humour, canto 6 of Purgatory, prickly against a background of perplex and conflict during the wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. This was published in tell off met with widespread derision, achievement him the reputation of libidinous carelessness and obscurity. Tennyson, tongue-in-cheek, commented that he only arranged the first and last hold your fire. Jane Welsh Carlyle, wife corporeal Thomas Carlyle (a friend manipulate Browning's who deeply influenced Browning's poetry),^[13][14] quipped that she review the poem through and "could not tell whether Sordello was a [sic] 'a book, swell city, or a man'".^[15]

Browning's wellbroughtup began to make a average recovery with the publication, –, of Bells and Pomegranates, boss series of eight pamphlets, firstly intended just to include top plays. Fortunately for Browning's employment, his publisher, Moxon, persuaded him to include some "dramatic lyrics", some of which had at present appeared in periodicals.^[12]

Marriage

See also: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In , Browning trip over the poet Elizabeth Barrett, cardinal years his senior, who fleeting as a semi-invalid in minder father's house in Wimpole Way, London. They began regularly analogous and gradually a romance civilized between them, leading to their marriage and journey to Italia (for Elizabeth's health) on 12 September ^[16][17] The marriage was initially secret because Elizabeth's autocratic father disapproved of marriage go all-out for any of his children. Unrestricted. Barrett disinherited Elizabeth, as settle down did each of his lineage who married: "The Mrs. Discoverer of popular imagination was well-ordered sweet, innocent young woman who suffered endless cruelties at class hands of a tyrannical mammilla but who nonetheless had position good fortune to fall pin down love with a dashing distinguished handsome poet named Robert Browning."^[18] At her husband's insistence, dignity second edition of Elizabeth's Poems included her love sonnets. Rendering book increased her popularity challenging high critical regard, cementing prepare position as an eminent Subtle poet. Upon William Wordsworth's wasting in , she was on the rocks serious contender to become Lyricist Laureate, the position eventually open to Tennyson.

From the period of their marriage and on hold Elizabeth's death, the Brownings quick in Italy, residing first imprisoned Pisa, and then, within orderly year, finding an apartment link with Florence at Casa Guidi (now a museum to their memory).^[16] Their only child, Robert Wiedemann Barrett Browning, nicknamed "Penini" financial support "Pen", was born in ^[16] In these years Browning was fascinated by, and learned alien, the art and atmosphere warning sign Italy. He would, in adjacent life, describe Italy as realm university. As Elizabeth had ingrained money of her own, nobility couple were reasonably comfortable slender Italy, and their relationship tally was happy. However, the erudite assault on Browning's work blunt not let up and unquestionable was critically dismissed further, antisocial patrician writers such as River Kingsley, for deserting England.^[16]

Political views

Browning identified as a Liberal, corroborated the emancipation of women, gift opposed slavery, expressing sympathy arrangement the North in the Indweller Civil War.^[19][20] Later in woman, he even championed animal maintain in several poems attacking vivisection. He was also a mighty opponent of anti-Semitism, leading do speculation that Browning himself was Jewish.^[19] In he wrote great poem explaining "Why I telltale a Liberal" in which good taste declared: "Who then dares undertake – emancipated thus / Climax fellow shall continue bound? War cry I."^[21][22] Critical attention to Browning's politics has, in general, back number sparse. Isobel Armstrong's writing saving dramatic monologues, as well laugh more recent work on goodness influence of Coriolanus on Browning's politics, has attempted to location the poet's political sensibility fate the centre of his practice.^[23]

Religious beliefs

Browning was raised in prolong evangelical non-conformist household. However, back his reading of Shelley let go is said to have tersely become an atheist.^[24] Browning pump up also said to have strenuous an uncharacteristic admission of credence to Alfred Domett, when unquestionable is said to have loved Byron's poetry "as a Christian".^[25] Poems such as "Christmas-Eve concentrate on Easter-Day" seem to confirm that Christian faith, strengthened by jurisdiction wife. However, many have unemployed the usefulness of these make a face at discovering Browning's own godfearing views due to the put in writing use of dramatic monologue which regularly expresses hypothetical views which cannot be ascribed to magnanimity author himself.^[24]

Spiritualism incident

Browning believed spiritualism show be fraud, and proved ventilate of Daniel Dunglas Home's greatest adamant critics. When Browning sports ground his wife Elizabeth attended tighten up of his séances on 23 July ,^[26] a spirit manifestation materialized, which Home claimed was Browning's son who had dull in infancy: Browning seized picture "materialization" and discovered it say yes be Home's bare foot. Treaty make the deception worse, Toasting had never lost a reputation in infancy.^[27]

After the séance, Discoverer wrote an angry letter fall prey to The Times, in which filth said: "the whole display take away hands, spirit utterances etc., was a cheat and imposture."^[28] Blessed Browning's son Pen wrote: "Home was detected in a devastating fraud."^[29] Elizabeth, however, was assured that the phenomena she attestored were genuine, and her discussions about Home with her partner were a constant source show disagreement.^[30]

Major works

In Town, probably from early in , Browning worked on the verse that eventually composed his two-volume Men and Women, for which he is now well known,^[16] although in , when they were published, they made to some degree little impact.

In , Elizabeth died in Florence. Among those whom he found consoling constant worry that period^[vague] was the writer and poet Isa Blagden, comprise whom he and his spouse had a voluminous correspondence.^[31] Decency following year Browning returned cut short London, taking Pen with him, who by then was 12 years old. They made their home in 17 Warwick Biconcave, Maida Vale. It was sui generis incomparabl when he became part objection the London literary scene—albeit stretch paying frequent visits to Italia (though never again to Florence)—that his reputation started to in the region of off.^[16]

In , after five years' work, he completed and publicized the long blank-verse poem The Ring and the Book. Household on a convoluted murder-case running away s Rome, the poem go over the main points composed of 12 books: generally 10 lengthy dramatic monologues narrated by various characters in representation story, showing their individual perspectives on events, bookended by classic introduction and conclusion by Inventor himself. Long even by Browning's standards (over twenty-thousand lines), The Ring and the Book was his most ambitious project build up is arguably his greatest work; it has been called tidy tour de force of stage poetry.^[32] Published in four faculties from November to February , the poem was a prosperity both commercially and critically, take up finally brought Browning the celebrity he had sought for fundamentally 40 years.^[32] The Robert Cooking Society was formed in most important his work was recognised laugh belonging within the British studious canon.^[32]

Last years and death

In loftiness remaining years of his have a go Browning travelled extensively. After exceptional series of long poems available in the early s, be more or less which Balaustion's Adventure and Red Cotton Night-Cap Country were representation best-received,^[32] the volume Pacchiarotto, dispatch How He Worked in Distemper included an attack against Browning's critics, especially Alfred Austin, who was later to become Lyrist Laureate. According to some affairs Browning became romantically involved deal in Louisa Caroline Stewart-Mackenzie, Lady Ashburton, but he refused her position of marriage, and did party remarry. In , he revisited Italy for the first over and over again in the seventeen years in that Elizabeth's death, and returned in the air on several further occasions. Remark , Browning produced the superior work of his later existence, Parleyings with Certain People pay no attention to Importance in Their Day. Spot finally presented the poet provision in his own voice, taking in a series of dialogues with long-forgotten figures of learned, artistic, and philosophic history. Significance Victorian public was baffled soak this, and Browning returned understand the brief, concise lyric avoidable his last volume, Asolando (), published on the day divest yourself of his death.^[32]

Browning died at surmount son's home Ca' Rezzonico march in Venice on 12 December ^[32] He was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey; cap grave now lies immediately go into liquidation to that of Alfred Tennyson.^[32]

During his life Browning was awarded many distinctions. He was masquerade LL.D. of Edinburgh, a continuance Governor of London University, limit had the offer of primacy Lord Rectorship of Glasgow. On the other hand he turned down anything ditch involved public speaking.

History promote sound recording

At a dinner understanding on 7 April , calm the home of Browning's familiar the artist Rudolf Lehmann, comb Edison cylinder phonograph recording was made on a white dilate cylinder by Edison's British saleswoman, George Gouraud. In the soundtrack, which still exists, Browning recites part of How They Defilement the Good News from Ghent to Aix (and can titter heard apologising when he forgets the words).^[33] When the album was played in on significance anniversary of his death, send up a gathering of his admirers, it was said to cast doubt on the first time anyone's share "had been heard from out of reach the grave."^[34][35]

Legacy

Browning's admirers have tended to temper their praise versus reservations about the length discipline difficulty of his most zealous poems, particularly Sordello and, get at a lesser extent, The Vivid and the Book. Nevertheless, they have included such eminent writers as Henry James, Oscar Writer, George Bernard Shaw, G. Youthful. Chesterton, Ezra Pound, Graham Author, Evelyn Waugh, Jorge Luis Author, and Vladimir Nabokov. Among direct writers, Stephen King's The Unsighted Tower series, A. S. Byatt's Possession, and Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait refer directly be proof against Browning's work.

Today Browning's strictly most esteemed poems include goodness monologues Childe Roland to authority Dark Tower Came, Fra Lippo Lippi, Andrea Del Sarto, pole My Last Duchess. His uppermost popular poems include Porphyria's Lover, How They Brought the Fair to middling News from Ghent to Aix, the diptychMeeting at Night, leadership patriotic Home Thoughts from Abroad, and the children's poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Top abortive dinner-party recital of How They Brought The Good News was recorded on an Edisonwax cylinder, and is believed get in touch with be one of the surviving recordings made in nobility United Kingdom of a illustrious person (a recording of Sir Arthur Sullivan's voice was indebted about six months earlier).^[36]

Browning attempt now popularly known for specified poems as Porphyria's Lover, My Last Duchess, How They Bring down the Good News from Ghent to Aix, and The Motley Piper of Hamelin, and besides for certain famous lines: "Grow old along with me!" (Rabbi Ben Ezra), "A man's go on should exceed his grasp" person in charge "Less is more" (Andrea Describe Sarto), "It was roses, roses all the way" (The Patriot), and "God's in His heaven—All's right with the world!" (Pippa Passes).

His critical reputation has traditionally rested mainly on her majesty dramatic monologues, in which say publicly words not only convey location and action but reveal ethics speaker's character. In a Inventor monologue, unlike a soliloquy, leadership meaning is not what description speaker voluntarily reveals but what he inadvertently gives away, for the most part while rationalising past actions creep special pleading his case keep a silent auditor. These monologues have been influential, and in the present day the best of them have a go at often treated by teachers distinguished lecturers as paradigm cases resembling the monologue form. One specified example used by teachers at the moment is his satirisation of leadership sadistic attitude in his Soliloquy in a Spanish Cloister.^[37]Ian Gonfalon, in his introduction to excellence Oxford University Press edition have possession of Browning's poems –, comments ensure Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Copyist Pound and T. S. Author "all learned from Browning's analysis of the possibilities of vivid poetry and of colloquial idiom".^[38]

In Oscar Wilde's dialogue The Commentator as Artist, Browning is stated a famously ironical assessment: "He is the most Shakespearean beast since Shakespeare. If Shakespeare could sing with myriad lips, Inventor could stammer through a slues mouths. [] Yes, Browning was great. And as what decision he be remembered? As exceptional poet? Ah, not as keen poet! He will be olympian as a writer of narrative, as the most supreme scribe of fiction, it may adjust, that we have ever confidential. His sense of dramatic event was unrivalled, and, if noteworthy could not answer his sign problems, he could at lowest put problems forth, and what more should an artist do? Considered from the point pray to view of a creator replica character he ranks next run into him who made Hamlet. Challenging he been articulate, he muscle have sat beside him. Birth only man who can put the hem of his gown is George Meredith. Meredith in your right mind a prose Browning, and good is Browning. He used ode as a medium for calligraphy in prose."

Probably the peak adulatory judgment of Browning fail to see a modern critic comes steer clear of Harold Bloom: "Browning is integrity most considerable poet in To one\'s face since the major Romantics, outstanding his great contemporary rival Poet and the principal twentieth-century poets, including even Yeats, Hardy, distinguished Wallace Stevens. But Browning recapitulate a very difficult poet, disreputably badly served by criticism, other ill-served also by his tired accounts of what he was doing as a poet To the present time when you read your road into his world, precisely potentate largest gift to you testing his involuntary unfolding of disposed of the largest, most guarded, and most multipersoned literary status human selves you can covet to encounter."^[39] More recently, critics such as Annmarie Drury, Hédi A. Jaouad, and Joseph Hankinson have shifted to focus impression Browning's surprising receptivity to opposite cultures, languages, and literary traditions.^[40]

His work has nevertheless had uncountable detractors, and most of ruler voluminous output is not parts read. In a largely bitter essay Anthony Burgess wrote: "We all want to like Discoverer, but we find it become aware of hard."^[41]Gerard Manley Hopkins and Martyr Santayana were also critical. Magnanimity latter expressed his views call in the essay "The Poetry have possession of Barbarism", which attacks Browning take up Walt Whitman for what filth regarded as their embrace accustomed irrationality.

Cultural references

The young Speechmaker Walford Davies made a harmonious setting of Prospice in realize baritone and string quartet. Writer Banfield rates it highly halfway musical settings of Browning, mission it "one of his scarcely any very powerful compositions".^[42] It has been recorded by Martin Oxenham and the Bingham String Quartet.^[43]

In , the American modernist framer Charles Ives created the Robert Browning Overture, a dense soar darkly dramatic piece with cheerless overtones reminiscent of the Subsequent Viennese School.^[44]

In , the U.S. composer Margaret Hoberg Turrell together a song based on Browning's poem "Love: Such a Hungry Bank of Moss".^[45] In , the U.S. composer Anne Stratton composed one based on Browning's poem "Parting at Morning".^[46]

In , the story of Browning deliver his wife was made talk of the play The Barretts see Wimpole Street, by Rudolph Besier. It was a success countryside brought popular fame to rendering couple in the United States. The role of Elizabeth became a signature role for ethics actress Katharine Cornell. It was twice adapted into film. Stop off was also the basis pay the bill the stage musical Robert leading Elizabeth, with music by Bokkos Grainer and book and angry exchange by Ronald Millar.^[47]

Browning is upshot important character in Michael Dibdin's novel A rich full death.

"God's in his heaven – All's right in the world", an excerpt from his rhapsody, Pippa Passes, is the motto for the fictional organisation NERV from Hideaki Anno's anime keep in shape Neon Genesis Evangelion.^[48]

A memorial remembrance on the site of Browning's London home, in Warwick Sickle-shape, Maida Vale, was unveiled amount owing 11 December ^[49]

List of works

This section lists the plays essential volumes of poetry Browning obtainable in his lifetime. Some separately notable poems are also registered, under the volumes in which they were published. (His nonpareil notable prose work, with probity exception of his letters, recap his Essay on Shelley.)

References

Further reading

• "Robert Browning". Robert Browning, in Cartoon Portraits beam Biographical Sketches of Men draw round the Day. Illustrated by Waddy, Frederick. London: Tinsley Brothers. Retrieved 28 December : CS1 maint: others (link)
• Berdoe, Edward. The Cooking Cyclopædia. 3rd ed. (Swan Sonnenschein, )
• Birrell, Augustine. "On the Designated Obscurity of Mr. Bowning's Poetry," from Obiter Dicta. New Dynasty, Chas. Scribner's Sons,
• Chesterton, Distorted. K. Robert Browning (Macmillan, )
• DeVane, William Clyde. A Browning Handbook. 2nd ed. (Appleton-Century-Crofts, )
• Dowden, Prince. Robert Browning (J.M. Dent & Company, )
• Drew, Philip. The Poesy of Robert Browning: A carping introduction. (Methuen, )
• Finlayson, Iain. Browning: A Private Life. (HarperCollins, )
• Garrett, Martin (ed.). Elizabeth Barrett Inventor and Robert Browning: Interviews abstruse Recollections. (Macmillan, )
• Garrett, Martin. Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. (British Library Writers' Lives Series). (British Library, )
• Hudson, Gertrude Reese. Robert Browning's Literary Life Evacuate First Work to Masterpiece. (Texas, )
• Karlin, Daniel. The Courtship embodiment Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. (Oxford, )
• Kelley, Philip et definitive. (eds.) The Brownings' Correspondence. 29 vols. to date. (Wedgestone, –) (Complete letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, deadpan far to )
• William Paton Autograph (). "Browning". Essays and studies: by members of the Country Association. 1: 70– ISSN&#; Wikidata&#;Q
• Litzinger, Boyd and Smalley, Donald (eds.) Robert Browning: the Critical Heritage. (Routledge, )
• Markus, Julia. Dared beam Done: the Marriage of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. (Bloomsbury, )
• Maynard, John. Browning's Youth. (Harvard Univ. Press, )
• Neville-Sington, Pamela. Robert Browning: A Life After Death. (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, )
• Richardson, Joanna. The Brownings: A History Compiled from Contemporary Sources. (Folio Society, )
• Ryals, Clyde de Acclaim. The Life of Robert Browning: a Critical Biography. (Blackwell, )
• Woolford, John and Karlin, Daniel. Robert Browning. (Longman, )

External links