Sonnets from the Portuguese and Other Poems

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Robert Browning's Poetry Robert Browning. A Shropshire Lad A. Victorian Poetry Francis O'Gorman. The Waste Land and Other Writings: Tennyson Lord Alfred Tennyson. Lyrical Ballads William Wordsworth. Lyric Poems John Keats. The Dubliners James Joyce.

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I liked reading this out loud a lot, but nothing beats this recording of Sonnet 43 by Dame Judy Dench: Oct 12, Anna Holden rated it it was amazing. I simply cannot say enough great things about Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Jun 04, James rated it liked it Shelves: The book and the sonnets both begin slowly. Frankly, I was bored through much of the book. But as the book and sonnets build they become much more intriguing, the language richer or truer--less of what now seems archaic to us--and more passionate.

Personally, I believe I should rate this at 2 stars but I do hover between 2 and 3 and I dislike discouraging a reader with potential interest in this work. Jan 04, Lizbeth Marie rated it really liked it Shelves: While I adore "Sonnets from the Portuguese", the "other poems" in this collection did not leave much of an impression on me. Sep 13, Jacklynn rated it really liked it Shelves: Jul 23, Phanesia Pharel rated it really liked it.

Mar 19, Izzy rated it really liked it. As the introductory material to this edition documents, Elizabeth Barrett Browning suffered lifelong ill health, and her physical experience profoundly colors her poetry. We do not read here of vivacious passion; for love poetry, there is very little exploration of the body or anything that could be called eroticism. Rather, the poet describes a more agape conception of love, more philosophical and measured in its description. The poet knew that people inevitably changed, and that aspect of the beloved that the lover came to love might well disappear in time.

According to the poet, love is an ongoing process, and should be infinite when fully realized. In her ideal, there is no such thing as having loved once, but no longer; love is eternal. If you are interested in rhyme and meter, this is a collection you will enjoy. The poet makes fine use of the multiple rhyme schemes possible in the sonnet form, though her choice of words may seem strained to a reader in the twenty-first century. For a fan of more modern forms, this is more of a relic than a living contribution, but still a fascinating study of an experience removed from most of ours, and a poetic examination of Platonic idealism in what would normally be a much more earthy type of writing.

Mar 25, fee rated it it was amazing Shelves: Do not say 'I love her for her smile Neither love me for Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry, A creature might forget to weep, who bore Thy comfort l "If thou must love me, let it be for nought Except for love's sake only. Neither love me for Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry, A creature might forget to weep, who bore Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! But love me for love's sake, that evermore Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity" This poem is just absolutely beautiful.

I fell in love with it exactly two years ago and I continue to love it. Lesson learned there but then as a literature student ex one I couldn't help but be drawn to the pain and conflict throughout the entirety of it. However as an almost nineteen year old female as of this review I am , I still follow my 16year old self's innocent belief that love is easy and there are obviously problems but yeah. The poem taught me that there will be lots and lots of twists and turns and people who disapprove and moments where you'll doubt everything.

Yup I just got poetically deep. Sep 14, Victoria Young rated it liked it Shelves: There are many lovely, rich pieces of verse throughout Sonnets from the Portuguese. They capture the paradoxical and alternating uncertainty and passion of a new love.

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I also enjoyed the poems extracted from some of EBB's other works, which have more varied themes and use a bit less of the stylisticarchaic language than the 44 sonnets. Barrett-Browning's Sonnets is a short read, but rewards multiple perusals- there are a lot of continuing metaphors throughtout the full suite of 44 sonnets that I didn't pick up on the first time through, and though her word play isn't, IMO, as clever and witty as her husband's, it is skillful and there are layers of classical and religious metaphor to explore.

Jan 18, Jason Kirk rated it really liked it. And there's plenty more on tap in this canonical series of love poems, which -- although they wear their age on their sleeve, especially with regard to Browning's depiction of God and womanhood -- remain as heart-resonant today as they must have sounded to their intended audience, the poet Robert Browning, when they were first published in Apr 12, T.

I found this gorgeous edition in a second-hand shop. It is absolutely beautiful! The pages are on a high quality, silky paper; the illustrations by Adolf Hallman are a bonus and enhance my reading experience. I fell in love with the English Romantic poets when I was in high school. My English teacher spent a class period on them, but I couldn't get enough. I immediately checked out poetry collections by Wordsworth, Keats my other favorite , Byron, ect. I even read a few by Robert Browning and th I found this gorgeous edition in a second-hand shop.

I even read a few by Robert Browning and then I discovered Elizabeth. Something about her just clicked for me. Lewis--this writer understood me. If you haven't read Elizabeth's poetry in years, or pretended to read any of the other poets mentioned for a class, you must give them another try! Their vulnerability and dissecting of human emotion makes them a wonderful read. Nov 17, J. Hushour rated it did not like it. I realize I'm in a stark minority here and am opening myself up to livid excoriation if not simple, outright literary exile and castration, but these poems are just terrible.

Even for the time, they are bad. I read a lot of poetry, especially from this time period, and these are just, well, I'll say it again, bad. Contrite and cold, there is little original here. Browning seems to strike out on several different opposing paths, juggling faith and some sort of odd romantic trajectory I realize I'm in a stark minority here and am opening myself up to livid excoriation if not simple, outright literary exile and castration, but these poems are just terrible.

Browning seems to strike out on several different opposing paths, juggling faith and some sort of odd romantic trajectory that comes across as insincere, with her forced rhyming and poor subject choices. Contrast to Rossetti, writing around the same time period, and also a "liberated" woman speaking her mind in verse, and you'll see what I mean.

I wonder if this is just another case of we-have-to-love-it-simply-because-it-is-and-we-can't-admit-it's-terrible-actually Apr 24, Bill Keefe rated it it was amazing Shelves: I can't wish that I had read these earlier. It wouldn't make sense. But reading them now, well into life, I am well reminded of all the things I've turned away from in my life and wonder just how many could have made such an impression, had such an impact on me as these poems.

This was discovery in all its splendor! She writes so you want to read, so you beg to read, so you long to read more and more, and then again. I'd read one, then another, then read the first. I'd read them for comprehension I can't wish that I had read these earlier. I'd read them for comprehension. I'd read them for structure.

I'd read them for with and then wisdom. I'd read them to wonder how one does this again, and again, and again. I don't know if I admire her love, her I was lost and now I'm found, I am unworthy and you so very much so, but she is so honest, her voice so, so true and her use of the language and the medium of expression. In high school, I considered Browning one of the most interesting poets my English teacher forced me to read, so I picked up this book to see if I could still appreciate her work all these years later.

While I won't be adding her to my current list of beloved poets, I can say that I enjoyed several of her poems, especially Sonnets from the Portuguese which include some of my favorite verses on love ever written. Despite the fact that her style and overly Christian writing framework were a little hard for me to handle at times, all in all, I appreciated a good bit of this collection.

Feb 28, Ana rated it it was amazing. We leave the communing of men, The murmur of the passions, And live alone, to live again With endless generations: Are we so brave? Be pitiful, O God!

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We sit on hills our childhood wist, Woods, hamlets, streams, beholding: This is a beautiful collection of sonnets and poems. The sonnets contain some of the most beautiful language, but the extra poems at the back of the book are funnier and more light-hearted. I feel like her impressions of love would have been more well-rounded if she had come to a realization of how much she had to offer to Robert and that she had in fact, earn This is a beautiful collection of sonnets and poems.

I feel like her impressions of love would have been more well-rounded if she had come to a realization of how much she had to offer to Robert and that she had in fact, earned his regard rather than receiving it as an undeserved gift. But this collection is beautiful and enjoyable just as it is: Jan 02, Alexis rated it really liked it Shelves: Elizabeth Browning was one of the foremost Victorian poets, and there's no question about her skill.

Sonnets from the Portuguese and Other Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Let's face it, there's so many 19th century love poems about the same person one can read before getting bored. Yes, you love Robert Browning and oh how surprising and delightful, he loves you back even if you can scarcely believe it. This is a little deeper than my usual reading but of course I don't usually read poetry. It's like walking into someones heart and taking a look at all the facets of their soul, exciting, enthralling, and still leaves you feeling uncomfortable like I just heard something I wasn't suppose to. At it's heart this is a poem to someones lover and covers all the sorrow and grief of realizing that a great love is doomed.

Oct 18, Emma rated it it was amazing Shelves: Barrett Browning's sonnets are beautiful and lyrical. The way they trace the course of a romance is touching and fascinating. I'm not sure what else I could add to the previous reviews which already trace the story of their creation.

Sonnets from the Portuguese audiobook

My personal favourite is VII Her following poems are spirited and I always feel that one really gets a sense of the woman who created them. They add to the narrative of the sonnets and reveal different facets of the writer. There are no discussion topics on this book yet.

About Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most respected poets of the Victorian era. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Browning was educated at home. She wrote poetry from around the age of six and this was compiled by her mother, comprising what is now one of the largest collections extant of juvenilia by any English writer.

At 15 Browning became ill, suffering from intense head an Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most respected poets of the Victorian era. At 15 Browning became ill, suffering from intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life, rendering her frail. She took laudanum for the pain, which may have led to a lifelong addiction and contributed to her weak health. Browning's first adult collection The Seraphim and Other Poems was published in During this time she contracted a disease, possibly tuberculosis, which weakened her further.

Living at Wimpole Street, in London, Browning wrote prolifically between and , producing poetry, translation and prose. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and her work helped influence reform in child labour legislation.