Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806— 1861), was a famous poet of Victorian England. During her lifetime, she was more admired as a poet than was her husband, Robert Browning. Today, his repu­tation is much higher than hers. She is best known for her romance with Browning, and only her «Sonnets from the Portuguese» are widely read.

Elizabeth Barrett was bom in Durham. She was educated at home, and learned classic Greek, Latin, and several modern lan­guages at an early age. Her father ruled his family harshly, but he was proud of Elizabeth's accomplishments. In 1819, he arranged for the printing of a long poem written by his 13-year-old daughter.

In 1821, Elizabeth injured her spine in a fall. Her condition was aggravated by the shock of her brother's drowning in 1838, and she became, seemingly, a permanent invalid. She spent most of her time in a darkened room, where she wrote poetry and many letters. Robert Browning admired her «Poems» (1844) so much that he wrote to her. More letters followed. They met and became engaged in 1845. Elizabeth's father violently opposed their marriage, but they were married secretly in 1846. They soon ran off to Italy, where Elizabeth's health improved remarkably.

For the remainder of her life, Elizabeth lived in the villa of Casa Guidi, overlooking Florence. Her son was bom there in 1849. At the villa, Elizabeth and her husband entertained many famous En­glish and American artists and writers.

The diction and rhythm of Elizabeth's poems have an attrac­tive, spontaneous quality, though some may seem overly sentimen­tal. Her best poems appear in «Sonnets from the Portuguese» (1850). These poems are not translations, but a sequence of 44 sonnets recording the growth of her love for Browning. He often called her «my little Portuguese» because of her dark complexion. The 43^rd

sonnet is Elizabeth's most famous poem. It begins: «How do I love tlice? Let me count the ways».

Elizabeth wrote many poems protesting what she considered unjust social conditions. «The Cry of the Children» (1843) attacked the misuse of child labor in England. She also wrote works appeal­ing for political freedom for Italy and other countries controlled by foreign nations.