Image of Robert Browning

Timeline

Lifetime: 1812 - 1889 Passed: ≈ 134 years ago

Title

English Poet, Playwright

Country/Nationality

England
Wikipedia

Robert Browning

Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. His verse was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax. His career began well – the long poems Pauline (1833) and Paracelsus (1835) were acclaimed – but his reputation shrank for a time – his 1840 poem Sordello was seen as wilfully obscure – and took over a decade to recover, by which time he had moved from Shelleyan forms to a more personal style. In 1846 Browning married the older poet Elizabeth Barrett and went to live in Italy. By her death in 1861 he had published the collection Men and Women (1855). His Dramatis Personae (1864) and book-length epic poem The Ring and the Book (1868–1869) made him a leading British poet. He continued to be prolific, but his reputation today rests mainly on his middle period. By his death in 1889 he was seen as a sage and philosopher-poet who had fed into Victorian social and political discourse. Societies for studying his work formed in his lifetime and survived in Britain and the US into the 20th century.

Books by Robert Browning

Pippa Passes Cover image

Pippa Passes

Poetry Drama
Play

Pippa Passes is a verse drama by Robert Browning. It was published in 1841 as the first volume of his Bells and Pomegranates series, in a low-priced two-column edition for sixpence and next republished in Poems in 1848, which received much more criti...

The Ring and the Book Cover image

The Ring and the Book

Poetry
Mystery Narrative

The Ring and the Book is a long dramatic narrative poem, and, more specifically, a verse novel, of 21,000 lines, written by Robert Browning. It was published in four volumes from 1868 to 1869 by Smith, Elder & Co.

White Witchcraft Cover image

White Witchcraft

Poetry
Power Poems Emotion Fortnightly Imagination Mysticism

This is a captivating exploration of the mystical realm, where words weave spells and magic dances through verses. Crafted by the renowned poet Robert Browning, this enchanting poem invites readers into a world where imagination and mystique intertwi...

A Wall Cover image

A Wall

Poetry
Poems Reflection Life Emotion Verses Experiences Resilience Existence Joys Sorrow Human Emotions

"A Wall" by the celebrated poet Robert Browning is a mesmerizing poem that immerses readers in a world where a seemingly ordinary wall becomes a canvas for the exploration of human emotions and the complexities of life. Through evocative verses, Bro...

Wanting is - What? Cover image

Wanting is - What?

Poetry
Love Power Poems Challenges Passion Hope Verses

Wanting is - What? A poem about the power of love to complete and fulfill us. The poem begins with the speaker asking the question, "Wanting is - what?" He then goes on to describe the world as it is without love: "Summer redundant, Blueness abundan...

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett Cover image

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett

Romance History Non-Fiction Biography
Romance Literature Culture Literary Figures Poetry Victorian era Correspondence Relationship Literary History Love Letters Barrett Browning Browning

This book contains the personal correspondence between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, two of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. The letters, written before and during their courtship, offer a glimpse into their passionate...

Home Thoughts From Abroad Cover image

Home Thoughts From Abroad

Poetry
Love Nature England Nostalgia Patriotism Loneliness Immigration Homelands Homesickness

This collection of poems by Robert Browning explores themes of nostalgia, patriotism, and the search for home. Through vivid imagery and emotionally evocative language, Browning captures the longing for one's homeland and the challenges of living abr...

Easter Interpreted Cover image

Easter Interpreted

Poetry Non-Fiction Religion
Collection Love Redemption Anthology Resurrection Faith Christianity Religious Hope Poetry Spiritual Easter

This collection, curated by Rose Porter, brings together a selection of Robert Browning's poems that explore the theme of Easter. Browning, a prominent English poet known for his profound and evocative verse, uses his artistry to delve into the spiri...

My Last Duchess Cover image

My Last Duchess

Poetry Drama Tragedy
Marriage Power Control Jealousy Self-Importance Renaissance Duke Art Patron Possessiveness Suppression

Set in the Italian Renaissance, the poem presents the disturbing monologue of a Duke of Ferrara as he recounts the events leading to the demise of his previous wife. Through the Duke's self-absorbed and manipulative narration, Browning explores theme...

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Part 1 Cover image

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Part 1

Romance Non-Fiction Biography
Love Romance Biography Poetry Victorian literature Correspondence

This extensive collection of letters offers an intimate glimpse into the courtship and early relationship between two of the most renowned poets of the Victorian era, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett. Through their nearly daily exchange,...

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Part 2 Cover image

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Part 2

Romance Non-Fiction Biography
Marriage Love History Victorian Romance Literature Poetry Literary Love Letters Browning Authors Barrett

This book is a collection of letters exchanged between the poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett during the early stages of their courtship. The letters provide insight into the lives and work of these two major literary figures, as wel...

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Part 3 Cover image

Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Part 3

Romance Memoir Biography
Marriage England Feminism Victorian Poetry Literary History Love Letters Romantic relationship

This volume of letters provides a rich and intimate glimpse into the lives and relationship of two of the most famous poets of the Victorian era, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The letters, which were written over a period of several...