CONTENTS
| Page | |
| [CHAPTER I] | |
| 1812-1833 | |
| The Most Exquisite Romance of Modern Life—Ancestry and Youth of Robert Browning—Love of Music—FormativeInfluences—The Fascination of Byron—A Home “Crammed with Books”—The Spell of Shelley—“Incondita”—Poetic Vocation DefinitelyChosen—“Pauline” | [1] |
| [CHAPTER II] | |
| 1806-1832 | |
| Childhood and Early Youth of Elizabeth Barrett—Hope End—“Summer Snow of Apple-Blossoms”—HerBower of White Roses—“Living with Visions”—The Malvern Hills—Hugh Stuart Boyd—Love ofLearning—“Juvenilia”—Impassioned Devotion to Poetry | [16] |
| [CHAPTER III] | |
| 1833-1841 | |
| Browning Visits Russia—“Paracelsus”—Recognition of Wordsworth and Landor—“Strafford”—FirstVisit to Italy—Mrs. Carlyle’s Baffled Reading of “Sordello”—Lofty Motif of the Poem—The UniversalProblem of Life—Enthusiasm for Italy—The Sibylline Leaves Yet to Unfold | [26] |
| [CHAPTER IV] | |
| 1833-1841 | |
| Elizabeth Barrett’s Love for the Greek Poets—Lyrical Work—Serious Entrance on Professional Literature—NobleIdeal of Poetry—London Life—Kenyon—First Knowledge of Robert Browning | [44] |
| [CHAPTER V] | |
| 1841-1846 | |
| “Bells and Pomegranates”—Arnould and Domett—“A Blot in the ’Scutcheon”—Macready—Second Visitto Italy—Miss Barrett’s Poetic Work—“Colombe’s Birthday”—“Lady Geraldine’s Courtship”—“Romancesand Lyrics”—Browning’s First Letter to MissBarrett—The Poets Meet—Letters of Robert Browningand Elizabeth Barrett—“Loves of the Poets”—Vita Nuova | [67] |
| [CHAPTER VI] | |
| 1846-1850 | |
| Marriage and Italy—“In That New World”—The Haunts of Petrarca—The Magic Land—In Pisa—Vallombrosa—“UnBel Giro”—Guercino’s Angel—Casa Guidi—Birth of Robert Barrett Browning—Bagnidi Lucca—“Sonnets from the Portuguese”—The Enchantment of Italy | [92] |
| [CHAPTER VII] | |
| 1850-1855 | |
| “Casa Guidi Windows”—Society in Florence—Marchesa d’Ossoli—Browning’s Poetic Creed—Villeggiaturain Siena—Venice—Brilliant Life in London—Parisand Milsand—Browning on Shelley—In Florence—Idyllic Days in Bagni di Lucca—Mrs. Browning’sSpiritual Outlook—Delightful Winter in Rome—A Poetic Pilgrimage—Harriet Hosmer—Characteristicsof Mrs. Browning | [115] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] | |
| 1855-1861 | |
| London Life—An Interlude in Paris—“Aurora Leigh”—Florentine Days—“Men and Women”—TheHawthornes—“The Old Yellow Book”—A Summer in Normandy—The Eternal City—TheStorys and Other Friends—Lilies of Florence—“It Is Beautiful!” | [163] |
| [CHAPTER IX] | |
| 1861-1869 | |
| The Completed Cycle—Letters to Friends—Browning’s Devotion to His Son—Warwick Crescent—“DramatisPersonæ”—London Life—Death of the Poet’s Father—Sarianna Browning—Oxford Honors thePoet—Death of Arabel Barrett—Audierne—“The Ring and the Book” | [199] |
| [CHAPTER X] | |
| 1869-1880 | |
| In Scotland with the Storys—Browning’s Conversation—An Amusing Incident—With Milsand at St. Aubin’s—“TheRed Cotton Night-cap Country”—Robert Barrett Browning’s Gift for Art—Alfred Domett (“Waring”)—“Balaustion’sAdventure”—Browning and Tennyson—“Pacchiarotto”—Visits Jowett at Oxford—DeclinesLord Rectorship of St. Andrews—“La Saisiaz”—Italy Revisited—The Dream of Asolo—“Ivanovitch”—Pridein His Son’s Success—“Dramatic Idylls” | [221] |
| [CHAPTER XI] | |
| 1880-1888 | |
| “Les Charmettes”—Venetian Days—Dr. Hiram Corson—The Browning Society—Oxford Honors Browning—KatherineDeKay Bronson—Honors from Edinburgh—Visit to Professor Masson—Italian Recognition—Nancioni—TheGoldoni Sonnet—At St. Moritz—In Palazzo Giustiniani—“Ferishtah’s Fancies”—Companionshipwith His Son—Death of Milsand—Letters to Mrs. Bronson—DeVere Gardens—PalazzoRezzonico—Sunsets from the Lido—Robert Barrett Browning’s Gift in Portraiture | [238] |
| [CHAPTER XII] | |
| 1888-1889 | |
| “Asolando”—Last Days in DeVere Gardens—Letters of Browning and Tennyson—Venetian Lingerings andFriends—Mrs. Bronson’s Choice Circle—Browning’s Letters to Mrs. Bronson—Asolo—“In Ruby, Emerald,Chrysopras”—Last Meeting of Browning and Story—In Palazzo Rezzonico—Last Meeting withDr. Corson—Honored by Westminster Abbey—A Cross of Violets—Choral Music to Mrs. Browning’sPoem, “The Sleep”—“And with God Be the Rest!” | [269] |
| [Index] | [297] |
ILLUSTRATIONS
| In Photogravure | |
| Robert Browning From a drawing by Field Talfourd, Rome, 1855 | [Frontispiece] |
| Page | |
| Elizabeth Barrett Browning From a drawing by Field Talfourd, Rome, 1855 | [39] |
| Engravings | |
| Busts of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning | [2] |
| Monument to Michael Angelo, by Vasari Church of Santa Croce, Florence | [80] |
| Old Monastery at Vallombrosa | [98] |
| The Guardian Angel, Guercino Church of San Agostino, Fano | [103] |
| Monument to Dante, by Stefano Ricci Piazza di Santa Croce, Florence | [108] |
| Palazzo Vecchio, Florence | [113] |
| Statue of Savonarola, by E. Pazzi Sala dei Cinquecento, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence | [116] |
| Fresco of Dante, by Giotto The Bargello, Florence | [121] |
| Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence (known as the Duomo) | [126] |
| The Ponte Vecchio and the Arno, Florence | [142] |
| Casa Guidi | [146] |
| The Clasped Hands of the Brownings Cast in bronze from the model taken by Harriet Hosmer in Rome, 1853 | [153] |
| The Campagna and Ruins of the Claudian Aqueducts, Rome | [156] |
| The Coronation of the Virgin, by Filippo Lippi Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence | [166] |
| Andrea del Sarto. Portrait of the Artist and his Wife Pitti Gallery, Florence | [170] |
| Equestrian Statue of Ferdinando de’ Medici, by Giovanni da Bologna Piazza dell’ Annunziata, Florence | [174] |
| Villa Petraja, near Florence | [178] |
| Church of San Miniato, near Florence | [182] |
| The Palazzo Barberini, Via Quattro Fontane, Rome | [188] |
| The English Cemetery, Florence | [197] |
| Tomb of Elizabeth Barrett Browning | [200] |
| Kate Field From the portrait by Elihu Vedder, Florence, 1860 | [208] |
| The Pallazzo Riccardi, Florence | [214] |
| Bust of Robert Browning, by his Son | [226] |
| Portrait of Robert Browning in 1882, by his Son | [242] |
| Church of San Lorenzo, Florence | [246] |
| Portrait of Robert Barrett Browning, as a Child, 1859 | [263] |
| Portrait of Robert Browning, by George Frederick Watts, R.A. | [270] |
| Mrs. Arthur Bronson, by Ellen Montalba, in Asolo | [274] |
| Miss Edith Bronson, (Comtessa Rucellai) | [280] |
| Portrait of Professor Hiram Corson, by J. Colin Forbes, R.A. | [290] |
| Palazzo Rezzonico, Venice | [294] |
| Engraved Facsimile of a letter from Robert Browning to Professor Hiram Corson | [260] |