Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Monday, October 2, 2017

“Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning (1836, his first dramatic monologue)







Robert Browning is considered one of the greatest of Victorian poets.  For many  knowledge of him begins and ends with the story presented in the classic 1938 movie, 

The Barretts of Wimpole Street concerning his courtship and eventual marriage to Elizabeth Barrett, author of Love Sonnets of the Portuguese.  

“Porphyria’s Lover” is my first venture into vast oeuvre of Browning.  I was surprised by the violence in the poem and the deranged persona of the male narrator.  The poem begins with a traditional rhapsody to the beauty of the speaker’ love, Porphyria.  He speaks of his Love for her as futile and pointless, thwarted by unrevealed by the narrator causes.  Perhaps he hints that she may be forbidden to him do to her higher social rank.  I was totally startled when The narrator tells us that he has murdered Porphyria by strangling her with her long blond hair.  



With a reading or listening time under five minutes, this might be a good introduction to Browning.  

Please share your experiences with Browning or Elizabeth Barrett Browning.


Mel u




2 comments:

Mudpuddle said...

i've had a love/hate relationship with B... i've really enjoyed working through some of his poetry and coming to a most likely erroneous understanding of what they are talking about; but i've been equally mystified by many others... i have copies of "The Old Yellow Book" and "THE Ring and the Book" on the shelf and i eyeball them cringingly as i pass by... maybe someday...

Mel u said...

Mudpuddle, I can see myself Reading more Browning. Maybe next “My Last Duchess”. Thanks as aleays for your comment