Date of Birth: March 6, 1806
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Date of Death: June 29, 1861
Biography
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. She was born on March 6, 1806, in Coxhoe Hall, County Durham, England. Elizabeth was the eldest of twelve children and was raised in a wealthy household. From a young age, she was an intellectual prodigy, learning to read Greek and Latin by the age of ten. Her early poetry was influenced by classical literature, the Bible, and the Romantic poets. Her first collection of poems, “An Essay on Mind, with Other Poems,” was published anonymously in 1826. Elizabeth’s later work was more personal and political. Her collection “Poems” (1844) brought her immediate fame and led to her correspondence with the poet Robert Browning, whom she married in 1846. The couple moved to Italy, where Elizabeth’s health improved, and she continued to write prolifically. Her most famous work, “Sonnets from the Portuguese,” is a sequence of love sonnets that she wrote for Robert. Elizabeth was also an advocate for social justice, speaking out against slavery and child labor. Her work had a profound influence on later poets, including Emily Dickinson. Elizabeth Barrett Browning passed away on June 29, 1861, in Florence, Italy, and was buried in the English Cemetery there.
5 Interesting Facts about Elizabeth Barrett Browning
1. Elizabeth Barrett Browning published her first poem at the age of 14.
2. She suffered from a mysterious illness throughout her life, which modern scholars believe might have been a form of tuberculosis.
3. Her father disapproved of her marriage to Robert Browning so strongly that he disinherited her.
4. Elizabeth was the first woman to be considered for the British Poet Laureate position.
5. She was an advocate for women’s rights and used her poetry to address social issues like child labor and slavery.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Elizabeth Barrett Browning
1. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
2. “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God.”
3. “I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.”
4. “For tis not in mere death that men die most.”
5. “God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face, A gauntlet with a gift in’t.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
Elizabeth Barrett Browning did not achieve significant financial wealth during her lifetime. Her net worth is not well-documented, but her literary contributions were invaluable and timeless.
Children
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning had one child, a son named Robert Wiedeman Barrett Browning, born on March 9, 1849. He was affectionately known as “Pen.”
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