ABSTRACT

First published in 2003, this book examines the creative partnership of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, and provides a critical analysis of the poems written by this famous couple during the 16 year period of their friendship, courtship and marriage. Even quite early in their relationship, the Brownings shared a frame of reference: similar themes, narrative structures, and details of phrasing resonate in their works and suggest dialogue, rather than merely mutual influence. Pollock traces parallels between the Brownings' lives and works even before they met, and then throughout their courtship and married life, suggesting that their creative dialogue continued after Barrett Browning died in 1861, as her presence and themes continued to inform Browning's poetry for at least a decade afterward.

chapter |15 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|44 pages

Art and Inexperience

1806–1844

chapter 2|21 pages

A Broken Poem

1844–1846

chapter 3|22 pages

Double Voices

1844–1846

chapter 4|19 pages

Browning Beside Himself

1847–1851

chapter 5|25 pages

Giotto's Tower

1847–1851

chapter 6|25 pages

A Gallery of Voices

1851–1855

chapter 7|31 pages

“What Form Is Best?”

1852–1856

chapter |14 pages

Afterword

1852–1856