第19章

“PippaPasses“，“TheRingandtheBook“，“TheInnAlbum“，theseareBrowning’sthreegreatdramaticpoems，asdistinctfromhispoeticplays。

Allaredramasintheexactsense，thoughthethreeIhavenamedaredramasformentalandnotforpositivepresentation。

Eachreadermustembodyforhimselftheimagesprojectedonhisbrainbytheelectricqualityofthepoet’sgenius：withinthekenofhisimaginationhemayperceivescenesnotlessmoving，incidentsnotlessthrilling，complexitiesofmotiveandactionnotlessintricatelyinvolved，thanupontheconventionalstage。

Thefirstisadramaofanidea，thesecondoftheimmediateandremoteconsequencesofasingleact，thethirdofthetyrannyofthepassions。

IunderstandthegeneralopinionamongloversandearneststudentsofBrowning’spoetrytobethatthehighestpeaksofhisgeniustowerfromthevasttablelandof“TheRingandtheBook“；

thatthenceforththerewasdeclension。ButBrowningisnottobemeasuredbycommonestimates。Itiseasytoindicate，intheinstancesofmanypoets，justwherethemusicreachesitssweetest，itsnoblest，justwheretheextremeglowwanes，justwherethefirstshadowscomeleapinglikegreyhounds，orstealalmostimperceptiblyfromslow-closinghorizons。

ButwithBrowning，aswithShakespeare，aswithVictorHugo，itisdifficultforourvisiontopenetratetheglowirradiatingthesupremeheightsofaccomplishment。LikeBalzac，likeShakespeareagain，hehasrevealedtousaterritorysovast，thatwhilewebowdownbeforethesunwesteringathwartdistantAndes，thegoldofsunriseisalreadyflashingbehindus，upontheshoulderofAtlas。

Itiscertainthat“TheRingandtheBook“isunique。

EvenGoethe’smasterpiecehaditsforerunners，asinMarlowe’s“Faustus“，anditsambitiousoffspring，asinBailey’s“Festus“。

Butisitaworkofart？Hereistheonlyvitalquestionwhichatpresentconcernsus。

Itisaltogetheruselesstourge，assomanyadmirersofBrowningdo，that“TheRingandtheBook“isasfullofbeautiesastheseaisofwaves。

Undeniablyitis，havingbeenwritteninthepoet’smaturity。

But，tokeeptothesimile，hasthisepicalpoemtheunityofocean？

Doesitconsistofseparateseas，orisitreallyone，asthewasteswhichwashfromArctictoAntarctic，throughzonestemperateandequatorial，areyetoneandindivisible？Ifithavenotthisunityitisstillastupendousaccomplishment，butitisnotaworkofart。Andthoughartisbutthehandmaidenofgenius，whatstudentofComparativeLiteraturewilldenythatnothinghassurvivedtheruiningbreathofTime

notanyintellectualgreatnessnoranyspiritualbeauty，thatisnotcladinperfection，beitabsoluteorrelative

forrelativeperfectionthereis，despitetheapparentparadox。

Themerebulkof“TheRingandtheBook“is，inpointofart，nothing。

Oneday，afterthepublicationofthispoem，Carlylehailedtheauthorwithenthusiasticpraiseinwhichlurkeddamningirony：

“Whatawonderfulfellowyouare，Browning：youhavewrittenawholeseriesof`books’aboutwhatcouldbesummedupinanewspaperparagraph!“Here，Carlylewasatoncerightandwrong。

Thetheme，lookedatdispassionately，isunworthyofthemonumentinwhichitisentombedforeternity。Butthepoetlookeduponthecentralincidentastheinventivemechanicianregardsthetinypivotremoteamidtheintricatemazeofhismachinery。

Here，aselsewhere，Browning’srealsubjectistoooftenconfoundedwiththeaccidentsofthesubject。Histriumphisnotthathehascreatedsohugealiterarymonument，butratherthat，notwithstandingitsbulk，hehasmadeitshapelyandimpressive。Stresshasfrequentlybeenlaidonthegreatnessoftheachievementinthewritingoftwelvelongpoemsintheexpositionofonetheme。Again，inpointofart，whatsignificancehasthis？None。Thereisnoreasonwhyitshouldnothavebeeninnineorelevenparts；noreasonwhy，havingbeendemonstratedintwelve，itshouldnothavebeenexpandedthroughfifteenortwenty。

Poetryeverlooksaskanceatthatgipsy-cousinofhers，“Tour-de-force“。

Ofthetwelvepartsoccupyinginallabouttwenty-onethousandlines

themostnotableaspoetryarethosewhichdealwiththepleaoftheimplicatedpriest，Caponsacchi，withthemeditationofthePope，andwiththepatheticutteranceofPompilia。Itisnotadramaticpoeminthesensethat“PippaPasses“is，foritstenBooks(thefirstandtwelftharerespectivelyintroductoryandappendical)

aremonologues。“TheRingandtheBook“，inaword，consists，besidesthetwoextraneousparts，oftenmonodramas，whichareastenhugefacetstoapoeticKoh-i-Noor。

ThesquarelittleItalianvolume，initsyellowparchmentandwithitsheavytype，whichhasnowfoundahaveninOxford，waspickedupbyBrowningfora`lira’(abouteightpence)，onasecond-handbookstallinthePiazzaSanLorenzoatFlorence，oneJuneday，1865。Thereinissetforth，infulldetail，alltheparticularsofthemurderofhiswifePompilia，forhersupposedadultery，byacertainCountGuidoFranceschini；andofthatnoble’strial，sentence，anddoom。ItismuchthesamesubjectmatterasunderliesthedramasofWebster，Ford，andotherElizabethanpoets，butsubtletyofinsightratherthanintensityofemotionandsituationdistinguishestheVictoriandramatistfromhispredecessors。

ThestoryfascinatedBrowning，who，havinginthisbookandelsewheremasteredallthedetails，conceivedtheideaofwritingthehistoryofthecrimeinaseriesofmonodramaticrevelationsonthepartoftheindividualsmoreorlessdirectlyconcerned。Themoreheconsideredtheplanthemoreitshapeditselftoagreataccomplishment，andearlyin1866

hebeganthemostambitiousworkofhislife。

Anenthusiasticadmirerhasspokenofthepoemas“oneofthemostextraordinaryfeatsofwhichwehaveanyrecordinliterature。“

Butpoetryisnotmentalgymnastics。Allthisinsistenceupon“extraordinaryfeats“istobedeprecated：itpresentsthepoetasHercules，notasApollo：inaword，itisnotcriticism。Thestoryisoneofvulgarfraudandcrime，romantictousonlybecausetheincidentsoccurredinItaly，inthepicturesqueRomeandArezzooftwocenturiesago。

Theoldbourgeoiscouple，PietroandViolanteComparini，managetowedtheirthirteen-year-oldputativedaughtertoamiddle-agednobleofArezzo。Theyexpecttheexquisitereputeofanaristocraticconnection，andothertangibleadvantages。

He，impoverishedasheis，looksforasplendiddowry。

Noonethinksofthechild-wife，Pompilia。Shebecomesthescapegoat，whenthegrossselfishnessofthecontractingpartiesstandsrevealed。

CountGuidohasageniusfordomestictyranny。Pompiliasuffers。

Whensheisabouttobecomeamothershedeterminestoleaveherhusband，whomshenowdreadsaswellasdislikes。Sincethechildistobetheinheritorofherparents’wealth，shewillnotleaveittothetendermerciesofCountGuido。Ayoungpriest，acanonofArezzo，GiuseppeCaponsacchi，helpshertoescape。Induecourseshegivesbirthtoason。Shehasscarcetimetolearnthefullsweetnessofhermaternityeresheisdonetodeathlikeatrampledflower。Guido，whohasheldhimselfthralltoanimperativepatience，tillhisholduponthechild’sdowryshouldbesecure，hiresfourassassins，andinthedarknessofnightbetakeshimselftoRome。HeandhisaccomplicesenterthehouseofPietroCompariniandhiswife，and，notcontentwithslayingthem，alsomurdersPompilia。Buttheyarediscovered，andGuidoiscaughtred-handed。Pompilia’sevidencealoneisdamnatory，forshewasnotslainoutright，andlingerslongenoughtotellherstory。

Franceschiniisnotfoiledyet，however。Hispleaisthathesimplyavengedthewrongdonetohimbyhiswife’sadulterousconnectionwiththepriestCaponsacchi。ButevenintheRomeofthatevildayjusticewasnotextinct。Guido’smotiveisprovedtobefalse；

hehimselfiscondemnedtodeath。AnappealtothePopeisfutile。

Finally，thewretchedmanpaysthetoomercifulpenaltyofhisvillainy。

Thereisnothinggrand，nothingnoblehere：atmostonlyatragicpathosinthefateoftheinnocentchild-wifePompilia。Itisclear，therefore，thatthegreatnessof“TheRingandtheBook“mustdependevenlessuponitssubject，itsmotive，thanuponitsbeing“anextraordinaryfeat“

inthegymnasticsofverse。

Inasense，Browning’slongestworkisakintothatofhiswife。

Both“TheRingandtheBook“and“AuroraLeigh“aremetricalnovels。

Theoneisdiscursiveinepisodesandspiritualexperiences：

theotherinintricaciesofevidence。Buttheretheparallelends。

If“TheRingandtheBook“weredefloweredofitsbloomsofpoetryandrenderedintoaprosenarrative，itmightinterestabarrister“gettingup“acriminalcase，butitwouldbemuchinferiorto，say，“TheMoonstone“；itsauthorwouldbeinsignificantbesidetheingeniousM。Gaboriau。Theextraordinarinessofthefeatwouldthenbebutindifferentlycommentedupon。

Asneitheritssubject，noritsextraordinarinessasafeat，noritsmethod，willwithstandasearchingexamination，wemustendeavourtodiscerniftranscendentpoeticmeritbediscoverableinthetreatment。

Toarriveatajustestimateitisneedfultofreethemindnotmerelyfrompreconceptions，butfromthatniggardlinessofinsightwhichcanperceiveonlytheminorflawsandshortcomingsalmostinevitabletoanyvastliteraryachievement，andbeblindtothesuperbmerits。

Onemustprepareoneselftolistentoanewmusician，withmindandbodyalerttothenovelharmonies，andobliviousofwhatothermusicianshavedoneorrefrainedfromdoing。

“TheRingandtheBook“，asIhavesaid，wasnotbegunintheyearofitsimagining。*Itisnecessarytoanticipatethebiographicalnarrative，andstatethatthefindingoftheparchment-booklethappenedinthefourthyearofthepoet’swidowerhood，forhishappymarriedperiodoflessthanfifteenyearscametoaclosein1861。

*Thetitleisexplainedasfollows：“ThestoryoftheFranceschinicase，asMr。Browningrelatesit，formsacircleofevidencetoitsonecentraltruth；andthiscirclewasconstructedinthemannerinwhichtheworkerinEtruscangoldpreparestheornamentalcircletwhichwillbewornasaring。

Thepuremetalistoosofttobearhammerorfile；