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Elizabeth Barrett was the first child born to Edward Moulton-Barrett and Mary Graham Clarke Moulton-Barrett, and the first of many Barretts
to have been born outside of the West Indies, where the family had resided for generations. In
1806, at the time of her birth, the family lived in Herefordshire, in a manor house by the name of
Hope End. Elizabeth learned Greek, and had written her first four book epic by the time she was
twelve. Her parents were extremely supportive of her writing. Her father had fifty copies of her
epic printed, and gave her access to his extensive library. Elizabeth's mother died in 1828. The family's funds had diminished, and the Barretts moved, first to Devon, and then to London, where they would take up permanent residence at the famous 50 Wimpole Street. Elizabeth spent much time abroad, partly due to her health, and also because of her dislike for the London environment. Her father was not approving in these matters, but consented under the physician's suggestions. In 1838 Elizabeth made her grand literary entrance with The Seraphim and Other Poems, a book which gained her almost immediate recognition as a poet of skill and importance. This was actually her third publication. Previously her translation of Aeschylus had been published in 1826 and a follow-up edition in 1833, though these had only a tepid effect on her poetic prominence. The publication of her Poems in two volumes sealed her recognition, both in Europe and America, as a prominent writer. Elizabeth would always be the more famous of the Brownings during her lifetime. In January of 1845 Robert Browning wrote to Miss Barrett in praise of her poetry and in gratitude for a complimentary article as well as a positive allusion to his work in one of her recently published poem. This began a series of correspondences which culminated in their first meeting four months later. Some historians suggest that Edward Moulton-Barrett was ashamed of his mixed lineage (having lived for so long in the West Indies) and feared that the dark-skinned trait would be more prominent in his grandchildren. Regardless of his motivation, he was determined that none of his children should marry. Plagued by concerns about how her father would react, worried about how she might appear to Robert, obviously sick, strongly addicted to morphine as a cure for her constant and mysterious illness, and six years his senior, Elizabeth postponed this meeting as long as she could. After the meeting Robert wrote much to her about his love; she often censured him though she had already begun work on her Sonnets from the Portuguese, a collection of love sonnets, the title of which stems from Robert's pet name for her, "the Portuguese." The proponents of the theory on her father's mixed lineage cite this name as a possible reflection of Elizabeth's darker skin tone as evidence of "creole" ancestry. Four months after their meeting, and eight months after Robert's first letter, the couple were secretly married (after stopping at the local druggists for sal volatile to calm Elizabeth's nerves) so as to avoid conflict with her father. For four days Elizabeth remained in her house, the marriage kept secret. On the fourth day, as the Moulton-Barretts readied themselves for a final move to the country (a decision partly constructed to keep Robert and Elizabeth separated) Robert arrived and the two eloped to Italy. Her father disowned her and refused to speak with her. Though Elizabeth was more sick in those first days after the marriage than she had ever been, she was rejuvenated in Italy. The next two years, 1847 and 1848, brought two miscarriages, though the third try resulted in the birth of Robert "Pen" Barrett Browning in 1849. Robert and Elizabeth would have disagreements during his growing up pertaining to his dress; Elizabeth always dressed him in bows and feminine colors to the point where people would question his gender. Robert only mildly intervened, and usually accepted her decisions. In 1850 Wordsworth--at that time England's Poet Laureate--passed away. The nation needed a successor and Elizabeth received several nominations from respected journals, including the Athenaeum. Although the post was given to Tennyson, this was certainly a high point in Elizabeth's career and reflected the nation's ecstacy over her Sonnets from the Portuguese, and Poems in two volumes, both published in 1850. Outside of the literary world, 1850 was not an altogether bright period in Elizabeth's life. She suffered a third miscarriage which left her bed-ridden for six weeks. After her recovery she and Robert decided to visit London for the first time since they had eloped. Elizabeth wrote a number of letters to her father, hoping to see him during the visit home, which he never opened. They weren't able to see him while they were there, and she would never reach any reconciliation with her father before his death in 1857. Elizabeth's greatest work, after Sonnets from the Portuguese in 1850, was Aurora Leigh, a book-length poem with a feminist perspective. The book had been many years in the making when it was finally published in 1856. It received rave reviews, including a review by Carlyle who called the book "The greatest poem in English, and the finest poem that the nineteenth century had produced in any language." In 1858 Robert and Elizabeth went to France, briefly, and continued on to Normandy, accompanied by Robert's father and sister. They settled for six weeks, during which time Elizabeth's health improved slightly, and the couple moved on to Rome. They moved back to Florence for not quite a year and then returned to Rome again in the hopes of lifting Elizabeth's health. Elizabeth's situation worsened. They returned again to Florence and resided there for the remainder of Elizabeth's life. In 1861 she died in Robert's arms. Moments before her death she told Robert "Our lives are held by God." |
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This biography was written under consideration of the texts in the Bibliography |