ROBERT BROWNING
Aubry Boyd
As you can clearly see from this
picture, Robert Browning was a pretty
kickin’ dude. I mean, look at that
intense stare! Heck, even his beard was
intense, so intense, that he had to
hold it in place so it didn’t attack the
poor sod who was drawing him.
Man. That guy must’ve been
awesome at parties.
IN THE BEGINNING
 At the age of 19 Browning published his first poem, it was deeply
personal and the ridicule he received caused him to avoid personal
poetry afterwards.
 As a result, most of Browning’s poetry is very far removed from
himself, using different narrators and characters.
 After his failed first foray into poetry, Browning moved onto
theatre…
BROWNING AND THEATRE
 I’m not going to put this kindly, Browning’s theatrical work was less
than stellar. The dude’s dead, I’m sure he won’t mind me telling the truth.
 The only good that came out of Browning’s worth in theatre is the
introduction of a new medium for him, the Dramatic Monologue.
 This is one of his most impressive mediums, and one he used often.
HOW CLICHÉ
 Browning fell in love with a Miss Elizabeth Barrett and they
eloped to Italy to escape her possessive father.
 Both poets thrived in their idyllic marriage, producing many
volumes of poetry during this time.
 Browning produced his most memorable volume of poems during
this time, Men and Women.
The happiness ended in
1961 when Elizabeth died.
It was only after this that
Browning began receiving
the recognition he deserved
for his poetry.
I have no idea what is with that hair…I guess she
shared her husband’s fondness for insane hairdos.
LATER LIFE
 After the death of his wife, Browning continued producing poetry.
 Browning’s longest poem was written in 1868, The Ring and the
Book. Which is about a gruesome murder trial in seventeenth century
Rome.
 Browning continued to write about darker and more serious
themes until his death in 1889.
THEMATICALLY
 Thematically Browning’s poetry ranged from dark/morbid
to the idyllic poetry produced during his time in Italy with his
wife.
 Later in life his poetry switched to an argumentative stance,
likely due to his admirers who were generally unqualified to
critique his poetry.
THEMATICALLY (CONT.)
 Browning also discussed major philosophical issues in his poetry,
such as religion and the “development of a human soul”.
 It was because of this focus on philosophy that he gained one of
his two followings, those that considered him a philosopher and
religious teacher who spoke of religious doubts and truths.
THE POSSE
 Browning had two main groups of admirers, though the two
admired him for two very different reasons.
 The first considered him a philosopher who solved issues of
religious doubt among other poets of the time.
 The second group revered him less for his religious strides and
more for his style (not the beard, unfortunately). Most notably, the
Dramatic Monologue.
TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ?
 TL;DR: Browning was a pretty awesome poet. He produced a metric
ton of poetry.
 His contribution to poetry was his development of the Dramatic
Monologue, which, after his use came into use by other poets.
 Browning was less of a Victorian poet, and more of a forerunner of
20th century poetry – although his style and energy are purely Victorian.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Robert Browning. The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Eighth
Edition, vol. E. Ed. Greenblatt, S. Norton & Company: New York, 2005.
Pgs. 1248-1256 : Biography and Early Life
"Selected Websites on Robert Browning's Life and Works." Biography in
Context. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2011.
: Biography and Contribution
Why are you still here?
THIS IS THE END.