Shorter Poems

by Robert Browning

Overview

It took the publication of the lengthy work 'The Ring and the Book' to gain Robert Browning recognition in his lifetime. But today, the Victorian poet is more admired for these, his shorter poems, complete with their powerful dramatic monologues. The preface to 'Shorter Poems', by Teachers' College, New York, says the poems are perfect for the "tastes and capacities of readers of the high-school age". They are, but they are also perfect for the tastes and capacities of readers of all ages. With rhymes that are often discordant and sentences that defy literary convention, Browning's work is pioneering and challenging. He provokes thought and even defies understanding. Browning's work is perfect for fans of Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and W. H. Auden. Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a poet and writer in 19th century England and Florence. His initial work was heavily influenced by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Some of his early work did not received popular or critical acclaim, but the publication of 'Bells and Pomegranates' saw him produce what became his trademark dramatic monologue. In 1846 he married the poet Elizabeth Barrett and they moved to Florence. After his wife's death, Browning settled in England. In 1869-1869, 'The Ring and the Book' was serialised, telling a murder story from 10 different viewpoints. It was rated as his greatest work and his writing continued until he died in 1889 while visiting his son in Venice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788728195925
Publisher:	Saga Egmont International
Publication date:	06/02/2022
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
Pages:	234
File size:	394 KB

About the Author

Robert Browning was born in 1812 in London, the son of a scholarly Bank of England clerk. He was largely home-educated, reading widely in his father's library and briefly attending the newly-established University of London. He began to write poetry at an early age, initially much influenced by Shelley. Early works including the drama Strafford (1837) attracted little attention from either critics or the public. A series of pamphlets under the collective title Bells and Pomegranates (1841-6), however, saw Browning develop the form of the dramatic monologue - a psychologically revealing self-contained speech by a dramatic character - with which he is chiefly associated, and includes many of his best-known poems. Browning's admiration of Elizabeth Barrett's 1844 Poems led to correspondence and eventually marriage in 1846, the couple settling in Florence and having a son in 1849. 1855's Men and Women, though poorly reviewed, was well-received by a group of readers including what would become the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. After Elizabeth's death in 1861, Browning settled in England. The Ring and the Book, a 'murder-story' told from ten different viewpoints in turn, was published serially in 1868-9; it is considered his masterpiece and finally won Browning critical and popular acclaim. Browning's output, though often critically undervalued, was undiminished in later years. He died in Venice, visiting his son, in 1889.