E4-1DetElizabethBarrettBrowning1. ENGLISH(4(
LISTENING!
THE!ARTS!
ELIZABETH!BARRETT!BROWNING!
180641861!
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FROM!:!THE!NATION'S!FAVOURITE!LOVE!POEM,!BBC1,!FRIDAY!10!OCTOBER!1997.!
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Narrator!:!Poetry(was(the(starting(point(of(and(the(underlying(reason(for(one(of(the(greatest(
of(true(love(stories.(150(years(ago(before(Wimpole(street(filled(up(with(Australian(dentists(it(
was( the( place( of( gas( lamps,( Hackney( carriages( and( the( first( fateful( meeting( of( Elizabeth(
Barrett(and(Robert(Browning.(
Suffering( from( ill( health( Elizabeth( Barrett( found( herself( at( 39,( unmarried,( housebound( and(
under( the( thumb( of( a( tyrannical( and( selfish( father.( But( in( 1844( her( life( was( transformed(
when(she(published(two(volumes(of(poetry,(which(made(her(one(of(the(most(popular(poets(
of(her(era.(The(eminent(poet(Robert(Browning(was(captivated(by(her(verse(and(wrote(to(her(
immediately.((
Browning(:!I"love"your"verses"with"all"my"heart.(
Narrator! :! Browning( finally( persuaded( the( frail( and( weary( poetess( to( meet( him( and( fell( in(
love( with( her( the( moment( he( set( eyes( on( her.( Their( letters( grew( more( passionate( as( their(
love( became( more( mutual( and( Elizabeth( was( moved( to( write( 'The( sonnets( from( the(
Portuguese',( some( of( the( most( beautiful( love( poetry( ever( written.( However,( Elizabeth's(
father,( Edward( M.( Barrett,( was( adamant( that( his( daughter( should( never( marry.( So,( on( the(
morning( of( September( 12,( 1846,( Elizabeth( slipped( quietly( away( from( her( father's( house( in(
Wimpole( Street( and( went( to( St( B.( parish( church( to( marry( Robert( in( secret.( A( week( later(
Elizabeth( fled( to( Italy( with( Robert.( Her( father( disinherited( her( and( refused( to( acknowledge(
her(ever(again.(Despite(this,(the(couple(enjoyed(a(new(happiness(and(with(the(birth(of(a(son(
when(Elizabeth(was(43(Robert(was(inspired(to(write(of(his(blissful(marriage(:(
My"perfect"wife,"my"Leonore"
oh"heart,"my"own,"oh"eyes,"mine"too."
But(in(1861(their(idyllic(life(together(was(cruelly(cut(short.(Elizabeth(died(in(Robert's(arms(on(
June(29.(Robert(left(for(England.(He(never(remarried(and(the(love(that(he(and(Elizabeth(held(
for(each(other(is(bequeathed(to(us(today(in(their(beautiful(poetry.(
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FOR!MORE!INFORMATION!:!
http://www.poets.org/poets!
http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/browning!
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors!