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Who wrote "Let me count the ways"?
Let me count the ways” is a sonnet by the 19th-century poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It is her most famous and best-loved poem, having first appeared as sonnet 43 in her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850). Although the poem is traditionally interpreted as a love sonnet from Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her husband, ...
What is the scandal of 1846?
The Scandal of 1846 — An informative article about the marriage and scandalous elopement of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. The Peanuts Version — Listen to a charming version of the poem read aloud on "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.".
What is the meaning of Sonnet 43?
“Sonnet 43” exemplifies the poet’s use of religious allusions throughout Sonnets from the Portuguese. John S. Phillipson, writing in the Victorian Newsletter in 1962, notes the echo of St. Paul, Ephesians III 17-19, where Paul prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Philipson suggests that “Sonnet 43” adapts St. Paul ’s thought into a new context, explaining that the “tone mingles suggestions of divine love with profane, implying a transformation of the latter by or into the former and an ultimate fusion of the two after death.” While other critics have not investigated the religious imagery in such detail, they generally acknowledge the importance of reverant language in the poem. In her book Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Virginia Radley states that “Students often find Elizabeth confusing on the subject of God, Love, and Robert Browning. For her, however, no confusion exists: God is Love; and Robert Browning’s love brought concrete form to the concept: in a Platonic sense, it gave form to the formless.” She concludes that, in Barrett Browning’s understanding, the “flame of love is divine in origin; it burns through lovers; its fire distills all lesser metal out; what remains is the pure essence.”
What is the penultimate sonnet in the poem "How do I love thee"?
“Sonnet 43,” the penultimate sonnet in Elizabeth Barrett Browning ’s Sonnets from the Portugese is perhaps the most famous of sonnets, recited frequently at weddings and on soap opera picnics. Most hearers will recognize its opening line, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways,” even if they cannot name the author. The work most closely associated with Barrett Browning’s name, some critics have called it her most inspired poem. Barrett Browning originally printed Sonnets from the Portuguese as pieces she had found and translated. They were, however, her own compositions, inspired by the courtship of and her subsequent marriage to poet Robert Browning. The couple initially chose the deceptive title for publication because they perceived the poems as so forcefully revealing private emotions. They also had reason to worry that the drama of their courtship would overshadow the sonnets themselves. Barrett was an invalid under the tuta-lage of a domineering father when she fell in love with Browning, a man six years her junior. The couple eloped to Italy, and Barrett Browning bore a child at the then unusual age of forty-three. Once the autobiographical content of the sonnets became known, the author’s life did become the most common tool for reading the cycle.
What is a sonnet in iambic pentameter?
Barrett Browning composed “Sonnet 43” in the form of a Petrarchan Sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen line poem in iambic pentameter, the most common types of which are the Petrarchan sonnet and the Shakespearean sonnet. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of two quatrains—sections of four lines—that are usually recognized as forming an octave—an eight line section. The octave is followed by a sestet, or a six line section. The Petrarchan sonnet has a rigid abbaabba rhyme scheme in the octave. The rhyme scheme in the sestet is variable, most commonly cdcdcd but occasionally cdecde or cdcdee. Both types of sonnets present and solve a problem; in the Petrarchan sonnet, the problem or issue is set up in the octave and solved in the sestet. A “turn”—a marked shift in subject or emotion reflected by a change in form—occurs at the ninth line, between the octave and sestet. In anticipation of this, the second quatrain (the second half of the octave) advances the subject matter in some way, rather than merely repeating it in a different form.
What did Elizabeth Barrett do?
Largely self-educated, she began reading and writing verse at the age of four, and by the time she was ten, she had read the works of Shakespeare, Pope, and Milton, as well as histories of England, Greece, and Rome. In the ensuing years she went on to read the works of the principal Greek and Latin authors, Racine, Moliere, and Dante, all in their original languages, as well as the Old Testament in Hebrew. At the age of eleven she composed her first long poetic work, a verse epic in four books, which was privately printed by her father in 1820. When she was fifteen she suffered an injury to her spine while attempting to saddle her pony, and seven years later a blood vessel burst in her chest, leaving her with a chronic cough; she would suffer from the effects of these two conditions for the rest of her life. At the age of twenty Barrett published her first volume of poetry anonymously; it went nearly unnoticed by the public. At this time, she made the acquaintance of one of her most important friends, Hugh Stuart Boyd, a blind, middle-aged scholar who had published several volumes of translations from Greek texts. Under his influence Barrett renewed her study of classical Greek literature, reading Homer, Pindar, the great tragic writers, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Isocrates, Xenophon, and
What is the meaning of the sun and candle light?
The earthly time frame these lines suggest, however, is still limitless and all-encompassing; “by sun and candle-light” refers to both day and night.
What line does the poem "Smiles, tears, of all my life" go to?
“Smiles, tears, of all my life” echoes back to “my old griefs” in line 10 , and the speaker begins the closure of the poem where she hopes to be able to achieve an even greater love after death. With humility, the speaker acknowledges that this desire might not be within her power to satisfy.
Who wrote the poem "Sonnet 43"?
1850. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) was an English poet during the Romantic Movement. “Sonnet 43” is one of the most famous poems written in the English language. This poem was originally published in 1850 in a collection called Sonnets from the Portuguese.
When was Roman Candle by Lauren Rushing published?
This poem was originally published in 1850 in a collection called Sonnets from the Portuguese. “My Little Portuguese” is a nickname Browning used for her husband. As you read, take notes on the tone and mood of this poem. "Roman Candle" by Lauren Rushing is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Where was Elizabeth Barrett Browning born?
I love thee with the breath, I shall but love thee better after death. This poem is in the public domain. Born in 1806 at Coxhoe Hall, Durham, England, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a celebrated English poet of the Romantic Movement.
How do I love thee?
I love thee to the level of every day's. Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use. In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose.
Author Biography
- Elizabeth Barrett was born in 1806, the eldest child of a prosperous merchant family that owned a large estate in Herefordshire, England. In her early youth she distinguished herself by her devotion to poetry, literature, and classical studies. Largely self-educated, she began reading and writing verse at the age of four, and by the time she was ten, she had read the works of Shakespeare, P…
Poem Summary
- Line 1
At this point the reader cannot know whether this is a rhetorical question. The opening line might seem to present an impossibility or an absurdity in its attempt to define an abstract concept, love, by mathematically adding up instances of it. - Lines 2-4
Dealing in lofty and abstract ideas, the speaker provides no image or symbol to make her love concrte or easy to grasp. Since “Sonnet 43” appears second to last in the cycle of sonnets, some critics have justified these abstractions by referencing them to other sonnets in the volume, argu…
Themes
- Love and Passion
In the octave or first eight lines of the sonnet, the speaker attempts not so much to “count” the aspects of love as to measure love’s extent, its “depth and breadth and height.” In doing so, however, she encounters an inevitable problem: while she is trying to define an abstract conditio… - Topics for Further Study
1. In the first eight lines of the sonnet, the speaker reaches for many metaphors to help articulate her love. Describe how each one illustrates a particular aspect of that love. Which, in light of the entire poem, seems the most central? 2. Compare this poem with William Shakespeare’s “Sonne…
Style
- Barrett Browning composed “Sonnet 43” in the form of a Petrarchan Sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen line poem in iambic pentameter, the most common types of which are the Petrarchan sonnet and the Shakespearean sonnet. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of two quatrains—sections of four lines—that are usually recognized as forming an octave—an eight lin…
Historical Context
- Although the whole of the Victorian age witnessed a diminution of religion’s impact on the greater society, the early Victorians were swept in great numbers by a last wave of Christian fervor known as Evangelicalism. The movement was primarily a response to main-line Anglicanism, the official religion of England, which in the previous century had grown spiritually dull and detached under t…
Critical Overview
- “Sonnet 43” exemplifies the poet’s use of religious allusions throughout Sonnets from the Portuguese. John S. Phillipson, writing in the Victorian Newsletter in 1962, notes the echo of St. Paul, Ephesians III 17-19, where Paul prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadt…
Criticism
- Brent Goodman
Brent Goodman is a freelance writer and has taught at Purdue University and mentored students in poetry. In the following essay, Goodman explains why the sonnet form was the vehicle Barrett Browning employed in expressing her love for her husband and suggests that the poet’s slight al… - What Do I Read Next?
1. Robert M. Adams provides a look at the Victorian era in the larger context of English history in the one-volume survey, The Land and Literature of England. 2. The Lives of the Saintsoffers the stories of Brownings “lost saints,” as well as their works and martyrdoms. again what the mood …
Sources
- Phillipson, John,’ “How Do I Love Thee?’ —An Echo of St. Paul,” in Victorian Newsletter,No. 22, Fall, 1962, p. 22. Radley, Virginia, in her Elizabeth Barrett Browning,Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1972.
For Further Study
- Altick, Richard D., Victorian People and Ideas, New York: Norton, 1973. Leighton, Angela, Elizabeth Barrett Browning,Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1986. Levine, Richard A., editor, The Victorian Experience: The Poets,Ohio University Press, 1982.