robert-browning-终稿

RobertBrowning(1812-1889)CONTENTSocialBackgroundEarlyLifeMiddleLifeHisWifeLateLifeWorkListMyLastDuchessPoeticStyleInfluenceSocialBackground(theVictorianAge)Politicalreform1.Thekingandthepeerswerebothstrippedoftheirpower2.TheHouseofCommonsbecametherulingpower3.Aseriesofnewreformbillsrapidlyextendthesuffrage,untilthewholebodyofEnglishpeoplechooseforthemselvesthemenwhoshallrepresentthem.ThemostimportantimmediatelegislativeaccomplishmentofthereformedparliamentwastheemancipationofslavesinBritishdominions.(1833)PopularizationofeducationAdvanceintechnologyAlltheabovehavebeenreactedinproseandpoetryTheChartistMovementDuringtheyearsafter1832,themajorcontradictioninthepoliticalarenabecamemoredefinitelythatbetweenlaborandcapital.Theyearsbetween1832andtheearly50’ssawanimportantseriesofeventsknownastheChartistMovement.AsLeninsaid,“thefirstbroad,reallymass,politicallyformed,proletarianrevolutionarymovement.”In1836theLondonWorkingmen’sAssociationdeterminedtoembarkuponacampaignofpoliticalpropagandaanddrewupa“Charter”.Thoughthisprogramwasonthefaceofitpolitical,thebasicpurposeoftheChartistswastheredressofsocialgrievanceswhichcould,theyheld,beaccomplishedonlywhenworkingmanhadrepresentationinParliament.TherevivalofChartismin1846-1848,wasthelastflickerofwhathadoncethreatenedtobecomeaconflagration.EarlyLifeBornonMay7,1812,inCamberwell(asuburbofLondon),firstchildandonlysonofRobertBrowningandSarahWiedemannBrowning.Robertwasanimpulsive,fearlesslittleboywhowasalsoratheraprodigy,writingpoemsandreadingHomerataveryyoungage.Hisfatherencouragedhimtoreadandhehadaccesstohislarge(6,000vols)library.Inhisteens,BrowningdiscoveredShelley,adoptingtheauthor'sconfessionalisminpoetry.Helearnedmanylanguagesanddevouredhisfather'shistorybooks.Healsolikedtoreadbooksthatwereconsideredrathershockingandnotquitesuitableforchildren.TheCamberwellPalace(1900)EarlyLifeAt16,Robertbeganattendingthenewly-formedLondonUniversity,establishedforthoseNonconformistslikeRobertwhowerebarredfromOxfordandCambridge.Robertattendedforonlyjustoverayear,thoughthankstohisreading,hewasreallyquiteaneducatedman.Healsowasquitearrogantattimes.Hisfamilyhadenoughmoneytosupporthiminthesepoeticalendeavors.Hisfirstpublishedwork,Pauline,wasconsiderednotverygood,butpromising;Hissecond,Paracelsus,waswell-receivedandRobertwasalwaysproudofit.MiddleLifeHeevenwroteseveralstageplays(between1836and1843)whichwerealsowell-received,thoughquiteforgottentoday.Between1841and1846,hepublishedfourbooks,mainlycollectionsofhisshorterpoemsthatwouldbecomeamonghismostfamousworks.ItwasaboutthistimethatRobert'scorrespondencewithElizabethBarrettbegan,whenhewrotetothankherforaflatteringmentionofhisworkinoneofherpoems.MiddleLifeInthisveryfirstletter,hetoldherthathelovedher,whichalarmedElizabethimmensely.Still,hemanagedtomeetherfacetofaceinMayof1845andmarryherinSeptemberofthatyear.ThehappycouplewenttoFlorenceandwereenchantedbyit,finallysettlinginthefamousCasaGuidi.TheyearsinFlorencewereamongthehappiestforbothofthem.HerloveforhimwasdemonstratedintheSonnetsfromthePortuguese,andtoherhededicatedMenandWomen,whichcontainshisbestpoetry.Browning’sWifeBornatCoxhoeHall,grewupinthewestofEnglandAmostrespectedandsuccessfulwomanpoetoftheVictorianperiod,andwaslargelyeducatedathomebyatutor,quicklylearningFrench,LatinandGreek.Shewasconsideredtodeservethelaureateship,butwhicheventuallywasawardedtoTennysonin1850.Hergreatestwork,SONNETSFROMTHEPORTUGUESE(1850),isasequenceoflovesonnetsaddressingtoherhusband.HervividintelligenceandetherealphysicalappearancemadealifelongimpressiontoRuskin,Carlyle,Thackeray,Rossetti,Hawthorne,andmanyothers.ElizabethBarrett(1806-1861)LateLifeItwasonlyafterhiswife'sdeath,in1861,whenhereturnedtoEnglandandbecamepartoftheLondonliterarycircle,thathisreputationstartedtotakeoff.In1868,hecompletedandpublishedthelongblank-versepoemTheRingandtheBook,andfinallyachievedreallysignificantrecognition.Wroteagreatdealrightuptotheendofhislife,thoughhewasplaguedbycoldsandbronchitis;hislastbook,Asolando,waspublishedthedayofhisdeath,December12,1889.AssumedhewouldbeburiedbesideElizabeth,butforthecemeteryhadbeenclosedtofurtherburials,heinsteadreceivedagrandfuneralatWestminsterAbbey.WorkListPauline:AFragmentofaConfession(1833)Paracelsus(1835)Sordello(1840)BellsandPomegranatesNo.III:DramaticLyrics(1842)MyLastDuchessThePiedPiperofHamelinDramaticRomances(1845)MenandWomen(1855)TheRingandtheBook(1868-1869)TheInnAlbum(1875)Solando(1889)MyLastDuchessPublishedin1842,thispoemisbasedonthelifeofAlfonsoII,dukeofFerrarainthesixteenthcentury.Theduke'sfirstwifediedafterthreeyearsofmarriage.Thepoemiswrittenintheformofthedukeaddressingtotheagentsentbytheprospectivefather-in-lawtonegotiatemarriageterms.Thepoemiswrittenin28rhymedcoupletsofiambicpentameter.PoeticStylehisinterestlay,notonlyinuniversallaw,butinindividualpassion.Andhisstyle,insteadofbeingeclectic(折中)andcarefullyelaborated,washighlyindividual,andoftenmoreintentonmeaningthanonform.Heisgoodatanalyzingthecausesofspiritualgrowthanddecayaswella