| Chapter I | ||
| Browning’s General Interest in Art. | ||
| I. | Subject Matter of Browning’s Poems | [9] |
| II. | Interest in Music | [10] |
| III. | Relation to Painting | [10] |
| IV. | Relation to Sculpture | [12] |
| V. | Significance of the Preceding Sections | [12] |
| VI. | Time Spent in Italy | [13] |
| VII. | English Knowledge of Italian Art in Browning’s Time | [13] |
| VIII. | Non-English Themes and Settings in General | [14] |
| IX. | A Quantitative Statement | [14] |
| Chapter II | ||
| Italian Sculpture in the Poems of Browning. | ||
| I. | General Statement | [15] |
| II. | Historical Scope | [16] |
| III. | Poetic Functions of the References to Sculpture | [17] |
| IV. | Source of Browning’s Knowledge | [22] |
| Chapter III | ||
| Italian Music in the Poems of Browning. | ||
| I. | General Statement | [23] |
| II. | Catholic Hymns | [23] |
| III. | Poetic Functions of the References to Music | [24] |
| IV. | Lack of Modern Italian References | [26] |
| V. | Conformity to Facts | [27] |
| VI. | Source of Browning’s Knowledge | [27] |
| Chapter IV | ||
| Italian Poetry in the Poems of Browning. | ||
| I. | General Statement | [29] |
| II. | Predominance in Early Poems | [29] |
| III. | Sordello | [30] |
| IV. | The Imaginary Poets | [30] |
| V. | The Italian as the Type of Failure | [31] |
| VI. | Italian Men of Letters: Dante | [32] |
| VII. | Other Real Writers | [33] |
| VIII. | Browning’s Knowledge of Italian Literature | [33] |
| IX. | Browning’s Interest in Italian Literature | [34] |
| Chapter V | ||
| Italian Architecture in the Poems of Browning. | ||
| I. | General Statement | [35] |
| II. | Source of Browning’s Knowledge | [36] |
| III. | Importance of Architecture in the Poems | [37] |
| IV. | Comparison with Other Writers | [38] |
| V. | Architecture and Personality | [39] |
| Chapter VI | ||
| Italian Painting in the Poems of Browning. | ||
| I. | General Statement | [40] |
| II. | Extent of Browning’s Knowledge | [40] |
| III. | Irregular Distribution of References | [41] |
| IV. | Sources of the Poems | [42] |
| V. | Poetic Functions of the References to Painting | [44] |
| VI. | Conformity to History | [47] |
| Chapter VII | ||
| General Comparisons: Browning and the Fine Arts of Italy. | ||
| I. | Poetic Function and Method | [48] |
| II. | Amount of Material Used from Each of the Fine Arts | [49] |
| III. | Personality and the Arts | [52] |
| IV. | Browning as the Poet of Humanity | [54] |
| Appendix | ||
| I. | Poems Containing Reference to Italian Art | [55] |
| II. | Tabulation of References to Individual Arts: | |
| Sculpture | [56] | |
| Music | [58] | |
| Poetry | [60] | |
| Architecture | [61] | |
| Painting | [66] | |
| Index | [75] | |
CHAPTER I
Browning’s General Interest in Art.
I. Subject matter of browning’s poems.
Concerning the predominance of the soul in Browning, every critic of the poet has written. It does not seem necessary to repeat any of this familiar criticism here. However, the emphasis placed upon personality and the soul does have a bearing on the discussion of Italian arts and artists as found in Browning. For personality is the dominant factor behind Browning’s selection and treatment of the Italian arts. Those arts in which personality is strongest he uses most. The poems having some one of the arts as a main theme usually had their origin in an interest aroused by some unique personality. Some further discussions of the relations of art and personality will be found in each of the five following chapters devoted to the individual arts; and more extended discussion is given in the general summary of Chapter VII.
Concerning Browning’s treatment of art, numerous articles have been written; but they are limited for the most part to consideration of one art or one poem. Browning, however, is the poet not of any one art but of art in general and of all the arts. Throughout life he was interested in more than one art and in spite of the seeming improbability of his ever having had serious doubts on the subject, it is stated[163] that he was long undecided whether to become a poet, a musician, or a painter. He might, says his biographer, have become an artist and perhaps a great one, because of his brilliant general ability and his special gifts.
II. Interest in music.
III. Relation to painting.
Whatever the cause of a certain decline of interest in painting previous to 1841 may have been, that decline was of short duration. Probably it was due to the increasing attention he was giving to poetry as a serious occupation. When he began to feel himself better established in his poetical career, he returned to his interest in the sister art. A letter which he wrote to Miss Haworth (probably in 1841) says that he is coming to love painting again as he did once in earlier years. In the same letter he speaks of his early efforts at the age of two years and three months, and characterizes himself as a wonderful painter in his childhood; but he adds, “as eleven out of every twelve of us are.” Such a remark, while it shows an early interest in art, and indicates that his fond relatives may have considered him a youthful prodigy in art, as fond relatives have a habit of doing on slight premises, implies that he himself did not consider his artistic ability seriously.