Elizabeth+Barrett+Browning



 Browning (nee Moulten Barret) was born March 6, 1806 in Coxhoe Hall, County Durham, England to an aristocratic family. The Barrett family were wealthy West Indian landowners from Jamaica who had made their fortune through sugar plantations, which relied on the slave trade. The Barretts had a large family and Elizabeth was the eldest of twelve children. In 1809, when Elizabeth was still very young, her family moved to Hope End near Ledbury, Herefordshire (Ingram). The estate they lived on was described as very modern with a beautiful natural setting. Elizabeth was a very active child and took advantage of the natural setting of her home.

Although she never attended a formal school, except for a short time in France, Elizabeth was a studious child from a very young age. She would read everything that was available to her and her father encouraged her studies. She learned classical Greek texts from Hugh Stuart Boyd, a blind middle-aged scholar who developed a great friendship with the young Elizabeth (Ingram). Her first epic poem “The Battle of Marathon” was published in 1820 by her father who published fifty copies. At fifteen, Elizabeth became very ill. Some stories say that she fell off her pony (Crow) while others have said that she caught a very bad cold (Everett). Elizabeth was afflicted with a chronic lung disease in 1837, though the symptoms of this illness differed from her illness as a child (Stone). She lived as an invalid until she was twenty-two (Collins and Rundle). Her mother died in 1828, leaving Elizabeth in charge of the household, despite her poor health (Merriman).

The family lost some of their fortune due to the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 and that same year they relocated from Hope End to London (Ingram). Elizabeth spent most of her time in London kept in her room where she devoted her time to writing. In 1838, her first collection of poetry, //The Seraphim and Other Poems //, was published to critical acclaim. Around the time of the publication of this collection, John Kenyon, a family friend, introduced Elizabeth to London society, which opened up correspondence with famous authors of London (Everett). When //Poems //was published in 1844, it opened up correspondence with Robert Browning. Browning courted Elizabeth even though she was six years his elder. Robert’s pet name for Elizabeth was “The Portuguese”, inspired by Elizabeth’s dark features. Elizabeth’s father would not allow any of his daughters to marry, so she secretly married Robert Browning in Marylebone Church on September 6, 1846. Elizabeth and Robert briefly parted after the ceremony until they had enough money to travel to Italy together. Elizabeth gained financial independence due to an inheritance left to her by her uncle. In 1846, after travelling throughout Europe, Robert and Elizabeth moved to their home, Casa Guidi, in Florence, Italy. Elizabeth’s father never forgave her for her marriage to Robert. She wrote to him often, but her letters were returned unopened bearing the black mark of mourning (Crow). In 1849, Elizabeth’s son Robert Wiedeman “Pen” Barrett Browning was born.

Elizabeth kept writing and publishing poetry even after she was married. In 1856, Elizabeth Barrett Browning published //Aurora Leigh //, a fictional autobiography written in verse, which was very well received by her contemporary critics. Elizabeth had the notion of writing an autobiography as early as 1843. Later on in her life, Elizabeth’s writing took on a new tone. Elizabeth became very interested in Italian politics. Elizabeth had been an advocate for human rights throughout her life with issues such as abolition of slavery and the movement for women’s rights. In her later life, Elizabeth also became an advocate for Italian independence. In 1860, Elizabeth wrote “A Tale of Villafranca” in which she alluded to her dissatisfaction with the outcome of the Italian Revolution and the Treaty of Peace (Ingram). Her collection, //Poems Before Congress //, resulted in some backlash in her native country as Elizabeth seemed to blame England for not becoming involved in Italy’s struggle for freedom (Crow). Elizabeth remained very interested in the politics of Italy until her death. She passed away on June 29, 1861 from a lung infection. Her final collection, //Last Poems //, was published in 1862. Her son published //The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett // in two volumes after her death. -- A. K. Costigan, UVic Engl 386/2012W <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Works Cited: <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Collins, Thomas J and Vivienne J Rundle. "Elizabeth Barrett Browning." //The Broadview Anthology of Victorian Poetry and Poetic Theory.// Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2005. 50. Print. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Crow, Martha Foote. //Elizabeth Barrett Browning.// NY: Eaton and Mains, 1907. Print. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Everett, Glen. "The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning." //The Victorian Web//. 6 April. 2002. Web. Jan 15. 2015. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Ingram, John Henry. //Elizabeth Barrett Browning//. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1888. Print. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Merriman, C.D. "Elizabeth Barrett Browning." //The Literature Network//. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,'Nimbus Sans L',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Stone, Marjorie. "Browning, Elizabeth Barrett (1806-1861). //Oxford Dictionary of National Biography//. Ed. H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. Online ed. Ed. Lawrence Goldman. Oct. 2008. 15 Jan. 2015.