Robert Browning wrote some of the most powerful and original poetry of the Victorian period, but he remains a difficult and controversial figure. This study aims to clarify and reassess Browning's poetry, exploring his major ideas, themes and poetic forms and placing his work within the cultural and political milieu in which he worked.
The study is organised as a sequence of thematic chapters, which trace the development of Browning's life and work including his attitude to love and marriage and his political and philosophical ideas. The authors refer to the full range of Browning's work, but centre discussion on a core group of poems which can thus be seen from a variety of perspectives. A detailed chronology situates Browning's career within its wider historical and cultural framework.
Written by two acknowledged experts on Browning, this study contributes a considerable body of new research to the ongoing critical debate. The authors adopt different but non conflicting approaches and the result is a study which fully explores the complexities of Browning's challenging and rewarding work.
Robert Browning (1812-89) rivals Tennyson as the major Victorian poet with such important works as Dramatic Lyrics, Dramatic Romances and Lyrics, Men and Women, Dramatic Personae and the monumental The Ring and the Book. He is known for his development of the dramatic monologue in which he recreated the world of Renaissance Italy, and provided subtle and complex explorations of character. Here, Daniel Karlin and John Woolford provide a thematic survey of Browning's often difficult work, using key poems as a common point of reference. The themes covered include: styles, genres, the mind, the world, interaction and criticism. This excellent survey will be of value to students of Victorian literature and modernism.
Robert Browning (1812-89) rivals Tennyson as the major Victorian poet with such important works as
Dramatic Lyrics, Dramatic Romances and Lyrics, Men and Women, Dramatic Personae and the monumental
The Ring and the Book. He is known for his development of the dramatic monologue in which he recreated the world of Renaissance Italy, and provided subtle and complex explorations of character. Here, Daniel Karlin and John Woolford provide a thematic survey of Browning's often difficult work, using key poems as a common point of reference. The themes covered include: styles, genres, the mind, the world, interaction and criticism. This excellent survey will be of value to students of Victorian literature and modernism.