第1章

London，RobertBrowning’sbirthplace；hisimmediatepredecessorsandcontemporariesinliterature，art，andmusic；bornMay7th，1812；

originoftheBrowningfamily；assertionsastoitsSemiticconnectionapparentlygroundless；thepoetaputativedescendantoftheCaptainMicaiahBrowningmentionedbyMacaulay；

RobertBrowning’smotherofScottishandGermanorigin；

hisfatheramanofexceptionalpowers，artist，poet，critic，student；

Mr。Browning’sopinionofhisson’swritings；thehomeinCamberwell；

RobertBrowning’schildhood；concerninghisoptimism；

hisfondnessforCarravaggio’s“AndromedaandPerseus“；hispoeticprecocity；

originof“TheFlightoftheDuchess“；writesByronicverse；

issenttoschoolatPeckham；hisholidayafternoons；seesLondonbynight，fromHerneHill；thesignificanceofthespectacletohim。

Hewishestobeapoet；writesinthestyleofByronandPope；

the“DeathofHarold“；hispoems，writtenwhentwelveyearsold，showntoMissFlower；theRev。W。J。Fox’scriticismsonthem；

hecomesacrossShelley’s“DaemonoftheWorld“；Mrs。BrowningprocuresShelley’spoems，alsothoseofKeats，forherson；

theperusalofthesevolumesprovesanimportanteventinhispoeticdevelopment；heleavesschoolwhenfourteenyearsold，andstudiesathomeunderatutor；attendsafewlecturesatUniversityCollege，1829-30；chooseshiscareer，attheageoftwenty；

earliestrecordofhisutterancesconcerninghisyouthfullifeprintedin`CenturyMagazine’，1881；heplansaseriesofmonodramaticepics；

Browning’slifework，collectivelyonemonodramatic“epic“；

Shakespeare’sandBrowning’smethodscompared；Browningwrites“Pauline“

in1832；hisowncriticismonit；hisparents’opinions；

hisaunt’sgenerousgift；thepoempublishedinJanuary1833；

descriptionofthepoem；writtenundertheinspiringstimulusofShelley；

itsautopsychicalsignificance；itsimportancetothestudentofthepoet’sworks；quotationsfrom“Pauline“。

Thepublicreceptionof“Pauline“；criticismsthereupon；

Mr。Fox’snoticeinthe`MonthlyRepository’，anditsresults；

DanteGabrielRossettireads“Pauline“andwritestotheauthor；

Browning’sreferencetoTennyson’sreadingof“Maud“in1855；

Browningfrequentsliterarysociety；readsattheBritishMuseum；

makestheacquaintanceofCharlesDickensand“Ion“Talfourd；

avolumeofpoemsbyTennysonpublishedsimultaneouslywith“Pauline“；

in1833hecommenceshistravels；goestoRussia；thesolerecordofhisexperiencestheretobefoundinthepoem“IvanIvanovitch“，publishedin`DramaticIdyls’，1879；hisacquaintancewithMazzini；

BrowninggoestoItaly；visitsAsolo，whencehedrewhintsfor“Sordello“and“PippaPasses“；in1834hereturnstoCamberwell；

inautumnof1834andwinterof1835commences“Sordello“，writes“Paracelsus“，andoneortwoshortpoems；hisloveforVenice；

anewvoiceaudiblein“JohannesAgricola“and“Porphyria“；

“Paracelsus“，publishedin1835；hisownexplanationofit；

hisloveofwalkinginthedark；someof“Paracelsus“andof“Strafford“

composedinawoodnearDulwich；concerning“Paracelsus“andBrowning’ssympathywiththescientificspirit；descriptionandscopeofthepoem；

quotationstherefrom；estimateofthework，anditsfourlyrics。

Criticismsupon“Paracelsus“，importantonewrittenbyJohnForster；

BrowningmeetsMacreadyatthehouseofMr。Fox；personaldescriptionofthepoet；Macready’sopinionofthepoem；BrowningspendsNewYear’sDay，1836，atthehouseofthetragedianandmeetsJohnForster；

Macreadyurgeshimtowriteaplay；hissubsequentinterviewwiththetragedian；heplansadramatobeentitled“Narses“；

meetsWordsworthandWalterSavageLandoratasupperparty，whentheyoungpoetistoasted，andMacreadyagainproposesthatBrowningshouldwriteaplay，fromwhicharosetheideaof“Strafford“；

hisacquaintancewithWordsworthandLandor；MS。of“Strafford“accepted；

itsperformanceatCoventGardenTheatreonthe26thMay1837；

runsforfivenights；theauthor’scomments；thedramaissuedbyMessrs。Longman&Co。；theperformancein1886；estimateof“Strafford“；

Browning’sdramas；comparisonbetweentheElizabethanandVictoriandramaticeras；Browning’ssoul-depictivefaculty；hisdramaticmethod；

estimateofhisdramas；Landor’sacknowledgmentofthededicationtohimof“Luria“。

“Profundity“and“Simplicity“；thefacultyofwonder；

Browning’sfirstconceptionof“PippaPasses“；hisresidenceinLondon；

hiscountrywalks；hiswaysandhabits，andhisheart-episodes；

debateswhethertobecomeaclergyman；is“PippaPasses“adrama？

estimateofthepoem；Browning’sramblesonWimbledonCommonandinDulwichWood，wherehecomposeshislinesuponShelley；

assertsthereisromanceinCamberwellaswellasinItaly；

“Sordello“；thechargeofobscurityagainst“Sordello“；

thenatureandintentionofthepoem；quotationstherefrom；

anecdoteaboutDouglasJerrold；Tennyson’s，Carlyle’s，andM。OdysseBarot’sopinionson“Sordello“；“enigmatic“poetry；

in1863Browningcontemplatedthere-writingof“Sordello“；

dedicationtotheFrenchcritic，Milsand。

Browning’sthreegreatdramaticpoems；“TheRingandtheBook“

hisfinestwork；itsuniqueness；Carlyle’scriticismofit；

PoetryversusTour-de-Force；“TheRingandtheBook“begunin1866；

analysisofthepoem；kinshipof“TheRingandtheBook“and“AuroraLeigh“；

explanationoftitle；theideatakenfromaparchmentvolumeBrowningpickedupinFlorence；thepoemplannedatCasaGuidi；

“OLyricLove“，etc。；descriptionandanalysisof“TheRingandtheBook“，withquotations；comparedasapoemwith“TheInnAlbum“，“Pauline“，“Asolando“，“MenandWomen“，etc。；imaginaryvolumes，tobeentitled“TranscriptsfromLife“and“Flowerso’theVine“；

Browning’sgreatestperiod；Browning’sprimaryimportance。

EarlylifeofElizabethBarrettBrowning；bornin1820；*

thechiefsorrowofherlife；theBarrettfamilysettleinLondon；

“TheCryoftheChildren“anditsorigin；MissBarrett’sfriends；

effectonherofBrowning’spoetry；shemakesBrowning’sacquaintancein1846；

herearlybeliefinhimasapoet；herphysicaldelicacyandhersensitivenessoffeeling；personalappearanceofRobertBrowning；

his“electric“hand；ElizabethBarrettdiscernshispersonalworth，andissusceptibletothestronghumanityofBrowning’ssong；

Mr。Barrett’sjealousy；theirengagement；MissBarrett’sacquaintancewithMrs。Jameson；quietmarriagein1846；Mr。Barrett’sresentment；

theBrowningsgotoParis；thencetoItalywithMrs。Jameson；

Wordsworth’scomments；residenceinPisa；“SonnetsfromthePortuguese“；

inthespringtheygotoFlorence，thencetoAncona，where“TheGuardianAngel“waswritten；CasaGuidi；

W。W。Story’saccountoftheroomsatCasaGuidi；perfectunion。

*Thisdateisatypographicalerror，butthedategiveninthetextitself，1809，isalsoincorrectitshouldbe1806。Mr。Sharp’slackofknowledgeonthissubjectisunderstandable，however，as，toquotefromMrs。Orr’s“LifeandLettersofRobertBrowning“(1891)：

“Shelookedmuchyoungerthanherage，which[RobertBrowning]

onlyrecentlyknewtohavebeensixyearsbeyondhisown。“A。L。，1996。