Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Bio

              Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born March 6, 1806. Unlike her eleven younger siblings and over 200 years of ancestors, Elizabeth was born in England. It was her father, Edward Barrett Moulton, who chose to leave Jamaica where the family had lived so long and owned a slave operated sugar plantation. It was in her home in England where Elizabeth received her education. Taking a liking to literature at a young age, Elizabeth is believed to have read many highly regarded work s including Shakespeare by age ten. At age twelve Elizabeth had accomplished her first “Epic” poem which was four books containing rhyming couplets. Throughout her mid-teens Elizabeth developed a lung condition and suffered a spinal injury while mounting her pony. She was treated with morphine for the rest of her life.  

                After Elizabeth’s accident she was in no condition to do much outside of her bedroom. She continued her education on her own, including teaching herself Hebrew so she could read the Old Testament. Elizabeth was an enthusiastic Christian and focused some her studies on her religion, which would influence some of her later work.

In 1828 Elizabeth’s mother passed away.   Devastated by this loss, and with a struggling plantation her father sent her siblings away to Jamaica.   Elizabeth settled in London, however when she became sicker she had to be accompanied by her brother.  Her brother, “Bro”, drowned tragically during her stay.  This sent her packing.  For the next five years she stayed in her room at her fathers home.  Throughout this hard time Elizabeth did however gain notoriety, and continued to write from her bedroom.  Her next work, simply titled “Poems” got the attention of Robert Browning whom she had praised in her work.

Robert was so impressed by “Poems” and Elizabeth’s other pieces he sent her a letter. Elizabeth and Robert continued to write one another exchanging 574 over twenty months. Despite her father’s disapproval Elizabeth and Robert secretly marry in 1846. The couple settled in Florence, Italy where her health improved allowing her to have a child. Robert Wiedemann Barrett Browning was born March 9^th, 1849. After the birth of Robert Jr. Elizabeth’s father never spoke to her again.

Elizabeth’s literary focus was on political and social issues after she had started her family. The unification of Italy and child labor became the topics of some of her work. A major product of Elizabeth’s was published after starting a family. “Aurora Leigh” a novel about male domination of a woman became one of Elizabeth’s most well-known works. Although Elizabeth’s new interest in political and social issues decreased her popularity she continued to write. Elizabeth died on June, 29^th 1861 in Florence, Italy.

Elizabeth Browning had numerous popular works including….

-          An Essay on Mind, with Other Poems, anonymous (1826)

-          Prometheus Bound, Translated from the Greek of Aeschylus; and Miscellaneous Poems, anonymous (1833)

-          The Seraphim and Other Poems (1838)

-          Poems (1844)

-          Aurora Leigh (1857)

Elizabeth wrote pieces that inspired the everyday woman of 19^th century England. These woman were largely responsible for Elizabeth’s notoriety because many critics considered her work embarrassing. Critics claimed that Elizabeth’s painful dislocations were indecent and awkward. Although her contemporary critics were disapproving Elizabeth was loved by the common woman of her time which has caused her to be considered amongst today’s critics to be a major influence of Victorian Poetry.