01. From William Michael Rossetti, some
Reminiscences of William Rossetti (London: Brown Langham, 1906), 1:232
William
Michael Rossetti and his brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti were first compelled by
Elizabeth Browning’s poetry in either 1844 or 1845. The Rossetti brothers read
her poems repeatedly, so much so they could repeat Browning’s poems almost
exactly. They criticized he poem and thought there may not be total truth to
them, but still they read her poems with great pleasure.
Elizabeth
Browning’s poems had great effects on people and captured reader’s attention
while bringing them great pleasure.
03.
From Fredrick Rowton, The Female Poets of Great
Britain (London, 1853)
The article touches on the fact that the
female brain can only handle so much information at a time according to the
author. Women should not be enrolled in the same extent of education that men
are in. The knowledge that men and woman receive must be kept different
otherwise a rivalry will form between the two sexes. Woman should receive their
knowledge from instincts, sympathy, and perceptions, while man should receive their
knowledge from study, reflection, investigation, and comparison. Women reach
answers by faith by belief while men reach answers by proof and demonstration.
This article was really strange to me since
the poet they are talking about in this book as a whole is Elizabeth Browning
is in fact a female.
04.
From “Elizabeth Barrett Browning,” English Woman’s
Journal 7, #42 (7 August 1861): 369-75’
Elizabeth Browning has left such an impact
on people aspiring to be writers. After her death many look back on her life
and remember the lessons she shared throughout her poetry as well as the
comfort and aspiration she always provided. Browning was a true poet following
the true poetic mission. She was reffered to as a prophet like many other great
poets are referred to as. She is said to be the only woman who has ever
captured the all true elements of poetry in any country.
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, and Margaret Forster. Selected Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. London: Chatto & Windus, 1988. Print.
The critique of female poets in Rowton's text reminds me of some of the points that Mykenzie made during her presentation today. In displaying so much knowledge about Italian history--especially in the late 1840's--Barrett Browning steps outside of the boundaries that others tried to erect around female poets at the time. Critics had pretty much accepted that women were going to be professional writers, but they still sought to define or limit them based on perceived differences between the male and female brain.
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