Opening page of an edition of Sonnets from the Portuguese with a portrait of EBB.
S everal web-pages dedicated to Elizabeth Barrett Browning can be found on the internet. Some pages are scholarly and some are pages made by fans that seek to preserve and promote her poetry. This web-page seeks to be both scholarly and artistic-- to provide the serious viewer with a visual and auditory experience that will lend new insight about who this poet was and how her love poetry influenced and continues to influence society in the realm of art and scholarship.
Sandwiched between EBB's publications is the 1850 edition of Poems. The edition includes Sonnets from the Portuguese, a sonnet sequence of 44 love poems written to Robert Browning during the course of their courtship. While the sonnet sequence might seem quaint and simple to us today in their traditional form and content, the poems were well received during EBB's lifetime. After they were published, EBB was considered for the position of Poet Laureate of England, indicating that her poetry was well respected by her audience and literary peers. (See Biography for more information.)
Moreover, Sonnets from the Portuguese continue to inspire artists and critics today. In spite of current cultural and political scholarship, the legacy of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning-- their letters, their poetry, and, of course, EBB's Sonnets from the Portuguese -- has stirred an incredible passion on the part of individuals, scholars, and architects to preserve their love. (See Visual Artifacts for an architectural example). Why is this so? Like her other poetry, the Sonnets can be read biographically. However, they are also well-crafted poems that reflect an incredibly learned and talented poet. In this sense, they are artistic remnants that express love (however biogrphical their inspiration may be) in a timeless manner. (See The Sonnets for an extended discussion on the ways in which her poetry can be analyzed). This website therefore hopes that having explored this page, the viewer will be able to understand the "height and depth and breadth" of the poetic talent of Elizabeth Barret Browning. (Make sure to visit the Response Survey once you are through exploring this site. It is meant to help you synthesize the material you have encountered and also provides the opportunity to give back personal feedback on the website).