A Browning Chronology: Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning FROM THE PUBLISHER
Several thousand letters to and from Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning have survived, together with other information on the composition and context of works from Barrett's lines on virtue written at the age of eight in 1814 to Browning's Asolando (1889). This Chronology seeks to guide readers through this mass of material in three main sections: youth, contrasting early backgrounds and careers, and growing interest in each other's work to 1845; followed by courtship, marriage, Italy, and work including Aurora Leigh and Men and Women; and concluding with Browning's later life of relentless socializing and prolific writing from his return to London to his death in Venice in 1889. This book provides not only precise dating but also indepth information on such topics as the Brownings' extensive reading in English, French and classical literature, their friendships, and their sometimes conflicting political beliefs.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Garrett, who is working on a volume about the two 19th-century British writers for the Interviews and Recollections series, uses letters and other material to construct a chronology of their lives and work from the earliest writing to their deaths. He divides the period into their youths and growing interest in each other's work to 1845; their courtship, marriage, and time in Italy to 1861; and Browning's later life of socializing and prolific writing until his death in 1889. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Home
