Browning Eliz
Achievements: Poetry
Born: March 6, 1806; Durham, England
Died: June 29, 1861; Florence, Italy (Aged 55)
Field & Discipline: Literature; Poet
Language: English
Father: Edward Moulton Barrett
Mother: Mary Graham-Clarke
Siblings: Alfred; Charles; Edward; George; Henry; Samuel; Septimus; Octavius; Arabella; Mary
Spouse: Robert Browning
Children: Robert
Education: Privately at home
Major Work:
"Sonnets from the Portuguese", "Aurora Leigh", "How Do I Love Thee?"
Life & Times:
Part of a large and wealthy family, Barrett was an exceptionally intelligent child, learning Greek and writing poetry when she was eight. She was also known for an exquisitely delicate beauty and sweetness of character.
When she was 13, she wrote an epic poem, "Battle of the Marathon", which her father arranged to be printed anonymously. When she was 15, she suffered an obscure illness that left her a semi-invalid. When her mother died in 1826, her father moved the family from their country estate to London.
Although there is no evidence she was seriously ill, Barrett continued to be treated as an invalid. She disliked formal social life and rarely ventured out. (On one occasion when she did, she sat next to poet [met] Wordsworth* at dinner.) She also disliked household duties, and refused to do them. She spent most of her time in her room, writing poems and contributing to literary magazines. In 1838 her first collection of poems, "The Seraphim and Other Poems", was published under her name. The book was well reviewed and her name came to be known in literary circles.
In 1840, Barrett's brother Edward drowned off Torquay, a tragedy that affected her deeply. She took to her room, where she spent most of her time in dim light, reading and writing poetry. She received only a few favored friends. The occasional time she left the house was for an outing in a wheelchair accompanied by her maid. Her constant companion was Flush, a spaniel.
In 1843, after reading a report on child labor, Barrett wrote "Cry of the Children". "Poems by E. Barrett", her second collection, came out in 1844. In one of them: "Lady Geraldine's Courtship" she referred to three contemporary poets: Wordsworth, [influenced by] Tennyson* and [married] Robert Browning*. In January, 1845, Browning wrote her to express his admiration for her work. She wrote back, and an impassioned correspondence began.
In May , he visited her and promptly fell in love with her. He persuaded her to take the open air, exercise, and eat well. Her health improved dramatically. After another year, he persuaded to marry him.
The relationship had to be concealed from her father, who was opposed to any of his children forming relationships outside the immediate family. Although her doctors recommended she spend the winter in a warmer climate, her father did not want to let her out of his sight and forbade it, and she did not have the courage to defy him. During this time, she wrote "Sonnets from the Portuguese", published in 1850, in which she expressed her hesitations at the idea of marriage. She chose the title because Browning had once called her "his Portuguese."
In September, 1846, Barrett slipped out of the house with her maid and married Browning at a nearby church. She returned to the house, saying nothing. But a week later, she slipped out of the house again, this time to go to Italy with Browning. The couple settled first in Pisa, where Elizabeth wrote an anti-slavery protest: "The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point", published in America in 1848 and in London in 1849. Two months later, they settled in Florence, in Palazzo Guidi.
In 1849, their son, Robert, was born. Elizabeth's health remained good and visitors remarked on her ethereal beauty and refined character. One American visitor described her as "a soul of fire enclosed in a shell of pearl". The Brownings visited London in 1851, but the rift with her father could not be mended.
Barrett became interested in Italian politics and was enthusiastic about [admired] Napoleon III* whom she saw as the liberator of an Italy threatened by Austrian aggression. "Casa Guidi Windows" (1851) was written about the political situation in Italy and was admired by writer [a fan was] George Eliot*.
In 1857, on another visit to London, she completed her long poem "Aurora Leigh", which she thought was her most meaningful work. Written in blank verse, it is set in Italy and England and tells of a young girl's love. It was a popular success. "A Curse for a Nation", included in her collection "Poems Before Congress" (1860), again denounced slavery in the United States. A sonnet to her husband, "How Do I Love Thee", remains one of the best known romantic poems in the English language.
Barrett's health worsened toward the end of 1860. She rarely went out, but received many visitors, including [visited by] Andersen*. In her last years, she took an interest in spiritualism, which profoundly irritated Browning, but did not lessen his devotion.
Extra Connections: [a family friend was] Trollope* was a family friend.
She dedicated two sonnets to [dedicated work to] George Sand*
She was a fan of American sculptor [a fan of] Hiram Powers]* and spiritualist medium [a fan of] Daniel Dunglas Home*
Assessment: Regarded as a more important poet than her husband
Oneliner: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Victorian poet
Bibliography:
- Forster, Margaret, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Biography, Chatto & Windus, London, 1988.