Aurora Leigh

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Other authorsKerry McSweeney (Editor)
Paperback, 1993

Status

Available

Call number

821.8

Collection

Publication

Oxford University Press (1993), Paperback, 361 pages

Description

A novel in blank verse by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, published in 1857. The first-person narrative, which comprises some 11,000 lines, tells of the heroine's childhood and youth in Italy and England, her self-education in her father's hidden library, and her successful pursuit of a literary career. Initially resisting a marriage proposal by the philanthropist Romney Leigh, Aurora later surrenders her independence and weds her faithful suitor, whose own idealism has also since been tempered by experience. Aurora's career, Romney's social theories, and a melodramatic subplot concerni

User reviews

LibraryThing member johnxlibris
The story of a woman's Wordsworthian search for her poetic voice. All the while, Browning gives the reader glimpses into 19th century society: gender norms, social concerns, politics, the role of art in society, and the responsibilities of the artist. Browning's language charms even at its
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less-than pristine moments.
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LibraryThing member lschiff
Really enjoyed this, though I didn't get many of the allusions and the flowery language got to be a bit much.

Language

Original publication date

1856
1860

ISBN

0192828754 / 9780192828750
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