My Two Favorite Poets

張貼日期：May 10, 2016 3:6:32 PM

Olaf Tang

When it comes to Victorian period poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett flashed into my mind because they were the typical authors in that era. Although their relationship was husband and wife, interestingly, they had different ways to express their emotion to readers. Therefore, I desire to understand the differences between them by their personal background, writing style, and philosophy of life.

First and foremost, their personal backgrounds were totally distinct. For instance, Ms. Browning was born earlier than Mr. Browning, and Robert Browning was a little-known poet when he began courting the already famous Elizabeth Browning. Education was another factor beneath their background. Robert Browning went to college at the age of fourteen. In contrast, Barrett didn’t attend college.

Another difference between the two poets was that both of them were skilled in writing love poems, but they portrayed love in different ways. Mr. Browning regarded that violence could let women be tamed. Even though the character in his poems killed his beloved, he claimed that it was a method of possessing his lover forever. For instance, the poem of Porphyria’s Lover goes, “And strangled her. No pain felt she;

I am quite sure she felt no pain.”On the contrary, Ms. Browning revealed her intense and intimate love for Robert Browning by writing sonnets. For example, the sonnets 43goes, “ Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.” She meant their affection would not vanish even when they went to underworld.

Last but not least, they had fairly different philosophy of life. Robert Browning was good at describing humans’ personalities by dramatic monologue. He believed that every person has his or her own sins but hidden. Sometimes he would use toxic drugs and funeral as the themes. It gave a gloomy atmosphere. On the other hand, Elizabeth had an optimistic attitude to life. She always looked at the bright side on everything. Even when they eloped to Italy she was convinced that their parents would forgive them one day.

Comparing these two talented poets, I have leant more about literature than before. Personally, I prefer the philosophy of Ms. Browning. I appreciate her poems as well as her positive views of life.

Through reading the poems of the two authors, I have realized the settings, the frameworks, and the motifs of the poems that they wrote.