ENGLISH(4( LISTENING!THE!ARTS!

ELIZABETH!BARRETT!BROWNING!

180641861!!

FROM!:!THE!NATION'S!FAVOURITE!LOVE!POEM,!BBC1,!FRIDAY!10!OCTOBER!1997.!

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Narrator!:!Poetry(was(the(starting(point(of(and(the(underlying(reason(for(one(of(the(greatest(of(true(love(stories.(150(years(ago(before(Wimpole(street(filled(up(with(Australian(dentists(it(was( the( place( of( gas( lamps,( Hackney( carriages( and( the( first( fateful( meeting( of( Elizabeth(Barrett(and(Robert(Browning.(Suffering( from( ill( health(Elizabeth(Barrett( found(herself( at(39,(unmarried,(housebound(and(under( the( thumb( of( a( tyrannical( and( selfish( father.( But( in( 1844( her( life( was( transformed(when(she(published(two(volumes(of(poetry,(which(made(her(one(of(the(most(popular(poets(of(her(era.(The(eminent(poet(Robert(Browning(was(captivated(by(her(verse(and(wrote(to(her(immediately.((Browning(:!I"love"your"verses"with"all"my"heart.(Narrator! :!Browning( finally( persuaded( the( frail( and(weary( poetess( to(meet( him( and( fell( in(love(with(her( the(moment(he( set(eyes(on(her.( Their( letters( grew(more(passionate(as( their(love( became( more( mutual( and( Elizabeth( was( moved( to( write( 'The( sonnets( from( the(Portuguese',( some( of( the( most( beautiful( love( poetry( ever( written.( However,( Elizabeth's(father,( Edward(M.(Barrett,(was( adamant( that( his( daughter( should(never(marry.( So,( on( the(morning(of( September( 12,( 1846,( Elizabeth( slipped(quietly( away( from(her( father's( house( in(Wimpole( Street( and( went( to( St( B.( parish( church( to( marry( Robert( in( secret.( A( week( later(Elizabeth( fled( to( Italy(with(Robert.(Her( father(disinherited(her(and( refused( to(acknowledge(her(ever(again.(Despite(this,(the(couple(enjoyed(a(new(happiness(and(with(the(birth(of(a(son(when(Elizabeth(was(43(Robert(was(inspired(to(write(of(his(blissful(marriage(:(My"perfect"wife,"my"Leonore"oh"heart,"my"own,"oh"eyes,"mine"too."But(in(1861(their(idyllic(life(together(was(cruelly(cut(short.(Elizabeth(died(in(Robert's(arms(on(June(29.(Robert(left(for(England.(He(never(remarried(and(the(love(that(he(and(Elizabeth(held(for(each(other(is(bequeathed(to(us(today(in(their(beautiful(poetry.(!

!FOR!MORE!INFORMATION!:!

http://www.poets.org/poets!

http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/browning!

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors!