Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese

Maggie Cotto (Stetson University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1850

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection
Sonnet

Resources

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First published in 1850,

Sonnets from the Portuguese

is a sequence of 44 love sonnets written secretly by Elizabeth Barrett in 1845-6 during her courtship with fellow poet Robert Browning. The two married in September 1846, yet the reluctant Mrs. Browning did not present these passionate poems to her husband until three years later. At this time, he insisted on their publication in the second edition of Barrett Browning's book

Poems

. He later explained, “I dared not keep to myself the finest Sonnets written in any language since Shakespeare's”. Browning himself suggested the title

Sonnets from the Portuguese

to give the impression that the work was a translation so that its very intimate nature would be somewhat disguised.

The story of the Brownings' romance is famous today. The two

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1791 words

Citation: Cotto, Maggie. "Sonnets from the Portuguese". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 July 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1939, accessed 21 November 2024.]

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese

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