Elizabeth Barrett Browning - "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and "Aurora Leigh"

 

Elizabeth Barret Browing

I. Introduction:

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (EBB), a important figure of the Victorian era (1837–1901), revolutionized poetry through feminist discourse, social protest, and lyrical innovation. Challenging gender constraints and chronic illness, she introduced the dramatic monologue form and elevated the sonnet sequence to new heights. This newsletter investigates her life, oeuvre, and enduring legacy, with detailed explanations of literary terms.

 

II. Biographical Sketch: Triumph Amid Adversity

Key Events & Influence-

1. Early Life & Tragedy:

·    Born 6 March 1806, Coxhoe Hall, Durham; eldest of 12 in a wealthy Jamaican sugar-plantation family.

• Spinal injury (age 15) and lung disease led to lifelong morphine dependence.

     2.    Intellectual Ferment:

• Self-taught in Greek, Latin, Hebrew; read Milton, Dante, and Wollstonecraft by adolescence.
• Published An Essay on Mind (1826) anonymously at 20.

3. Traumatic Losses:

• Mother’s death (1828); brother "Bro" drowned (1840), inspiring grief-laden De Profundis.

4. Transformation in Italy:

• Eloped with Robert Browning (1846); disinherited. Flourished in Florence, bearing son "Pen" (1849).

Literary Catalysts

Work	Significance
Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850)	44 love sonnets for Robert; redefined Petrarchan tradition
Aurora Leigh (1857)	11,000-line verse novel; feminist manifesto
Poems Before Congress (1860)	Political protest against Italian oppression

 

III. Literary Output & Style

A. Defining Characteristics

1. Formal Innovation:
• Hybridized sonnet structures: Mixed abba abba octaves with cdcdcd/cdecde sestets.
• Blank verse mastery: Aurora Leigh used unrhymed iambic pentameter for autobiographical realism.
2. Thematic Boldness:
• Feminist polemic: Challenged Victorian separate spheres ideology (domestic vs. public life).
• Social justice: Condemned child labor (The Cry of the Children), slavery, and oppression.
3. Voice & Tone:
• Lyrical intensity fused with moral urgency.
• Blended Romantic subjectivity with Victorian social critique.

B. Major Works Analyzed

1. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850)
• Structure: 44 Petrarchan sonnets (14-line poems: octave + sestet).
• Innovation: Reversed gender roles; female speaker articulates desire.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." (Sonnet 43)

• Legacy: Became template for female-authored love poetry.
1. Aurora Leigh (1857)
• Genre: Verse novel blending epic, bildungsroman, and social realism.
• Feminist Themes:

ü  Denied marriage as sole female destiny.

ü  Affirmed women’s right to artistic vocation.

• Critical Impact:

ü  Hailed by Woolf as "the epic poem of the literary woman herself."

3. George Sand Tributes
• To George Sand: A Recognition & To George Sand: A Desire (1844):

ü Form: Italian sonnets honoring French novelist Amantine Dupin (1804–1876).

ü  Thesis: Praised Sand’s genius while affirming female identity:

"True genius, but true woman! dost deny / Thy woman’s nature with a manly scorn?"

ü  Gender Subversion: "Large-brained woman and large-hearted man" dismantled biological essentialism.

4. The Cry of the Children (1843)
• Inspiration: 1842 parliamentary report on child labor.
• Techniques:

ü Didacticism: Moral instruction through visceral imagery.

ü  Anaphora: Repetition of "Do ye hear the children weeping?" for rhetorical force.

• Impact: Encouraged factory reforms; hailed as pioneering protest poetry.

IV. Critical Reception & Controversies

Contemporary Views

1. Praise:

•  John Ruskin: "The greatest female genius since Sappho."
• Pre-Raphaelites respected her spiritual intensity.

    2. Censure:

• Criticized for "obscurity" and "coarseness" (Poems Before Congress).
• Edward Fitzgerald: "Her sex had better mind the kitchen."

Modern Reappraisal

1. Feminist Icon:
• Aurora Leigh reclaimed as foundational text for proto-feminism.
• Gilbert & Gubar (The Madwoman in the Attic) cite Bertha Mason parallels.
2. Political Visionary:
• Recognized for anti-imperialist stance in Casa Guidi Windows (1851).

V. Literary Glossary

1. Petrarchan Sonnet:

· Structure: 14 lines; octave (ABBA ABBA) + sestet (CDE CDE/CDCDCD).

·   EBB’s Use: Subverted male gaze in Sonnets from the Portuguese.

2. Verse Novel:

· Definition: Book-length narrative told through poetry.

·   Example: Aurora Leigh’s blend of social critique and autobiography.

3. Didacticism:

· Purpose: Literature aiming to instruct morally/politically.

·  EBB’s Use: The Cry of the Children exposed industrial exploitation.

4. Blank Verse:

·   Structure: Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

· Effect: Mimics natural speech; used in Aurora Leigh for realism.

5. Separate Spheres Ideology:

· Victorian Doctrine: Men (public/work); women (private/home).

·  EBB’s Challenge: "Am I proved too weak / To stand alone?" (Aurora Leigh).

6. Proto-Feminism:

·  Definition: Pre-20th-century advocacy for women’s rights.

·  EBB’s Role: Demanded intellectual equality and creative agency.

VI. Enduring Legacy

1. Literary Influence:

·   Encouraged Emily Dickinson (kept EBB’s portrait in her bedroom).

·  Paved way for Modernist feminists (Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich).

2. Cultural Impact:

·  "How Do I Love Thee?" remains a global wedding staple.

·  Aurora Leigh taught in gender studies curricula worldwide.

3. Posthumous Recognition:

· 1850: Contender for Poet Laureate after Wordsworth.

· 2020s: Reclaimed as intersectional icon (class, gender, disability).

 

"She sought 'a stainless fame'—and forged a legacy that outshone Victorian constraint."