1) Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most popular poets of her era in the 1840s, but suffered from poor health and was confined by her controlling father. 2) She met fellow poet Robert Browning after publishing her work, and they fell in love through letters despite her father forbidding marriage. 3) Elizabeth and Robert eloped and married in secret, later fleeing to Italy, inspiring some of the most beautiful love poetry ever written, though Elizabeth's father disowned her. Their love story is immortalized through their poetic works.

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LISTENING!
THE!ARTS!
ELIZABETH!BARRETT!BROWNING!
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FROM!:!THE!NATION'S!FAVOURITE!LOVE!POEM,!BBC1,!FRIDAY!10!OCTOBER!1997.!
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Narrator!:!Poetry(was(the(starting(point(of(and(the(underlying(reason(for(one(of(the(greatest(
of(true(love(stories.(150(years(ago(before(Wimpole(street(filled(up(with(Australian(dentists(it(
was( the( place( of( gas( lamps,( Hackney( carriages( and( the( first( fateful( meeting( of( Elizabeth(
Barrett(and(Robert(Browning.(
Suffering( from( ill( health( Elizabeth( Barrett( found( herself( at( 39,( unmarried,( housebound( and(
under( the( thumb( of( a( tyrannical( and( selfish( father.( But( in( 1844( her( life( was( transformed(
when(she(published(two(volumes(of(poetry,(which(made(her(one(of(the(most(popular(poets(
of(her(era.(The(eminent(poet(Robert(Browning(was(captivated(by(her(verse(and(wrote(to(her(
immediately.((
Browning(:!I"love"your"verses"with"all"my"heart.(
Narrator! :! Browning( finally( persuaded( the( frail( and( weary( poetess( to( meet( him( and( fell( in(
love( with( her( the( moment( he( set( eyes( on( her.( Their( letters( grew( more( passionate( as( their(
love( became( more( mutual( and( Elizabeth( was( moved( to( write( 'The( sonnets( from( the(
Portuguese',( some( of( the( most( beautiful( love( poetry( ever( written.( However,( Elizabeth's(
father,( Edward( M.( Barrett,( was( adamant( that( his( daughter( should( never( marry.( So,( on( the(
morning( of( September( 12,( 1846,( Elizabeth( slipped( quietly( away( from( her( father's( house( in(
Wimpole( Street( and( went( to( St( B.( parish( church( to( marry( Robert( in( secret.( A( week( later(
Elizabeth( fled( to( Italy( with( Robert.( Her( father( disinherited( her( and( refused( to( acknowledge(
her(ever(again.(Despite(this,(the(couple(enjoyed(a(new(happiness(and(with(the(birth(of(a(son(
when(Elizabeth(was(43(Robert(was(inspired(to(write(of(his(blissful(marriage(:(
My"perfect"wife,"my"Leonore"
oh"heart,"my"own,"oh"eyes,"mine"too."
But(in(1861(their(idyllic(life(together(was(cruelly(cut(short.(Elizabeth(died(in(Robert's(arms(on(
June(29.(Robert(left(for(England.(He(never(remarried(and(the(love(that(he(and(Elizabeth(held(
for(each(other(is(bequeathed(to(us(today(in(their(beautiful(poetry.(
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FOR!MORE!INFORMATION!:!
http://www.poets.org/poets!
http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/browning!
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors!