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), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1850

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection
Sonnet

Resources

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 …

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1791 words

Citation: Cotto, Maggie. "Sonnets from the Portuguese". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 July 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1939, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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