Poetry: Comparing Elizabeth Barret Browning and William Wordsworth

 

         

I've been studying poetry with my current online Creative Writing diploma and have been encouraged by the course to research 2 poets of my choice, who wrote in the same genre. So I chose two of my favourites from the late 18th and early 19th century period of Romanticism: Elizabeth Barret Browning and William Wordsworth. 

While Wordsworth wrote during Romanticism, especially in its "great decade," (1797-1808), Elizabeth Barret Browning was heavily influenced by this literary and artistic phase, but wrote poetry primarily in the Victorian era. This means that some of Elizabeth's poems address Victorian social and political issues, such as child labour, abolitionism and women's rights. But a crucial similarity between these two poets is that they both wrote passionately and emotively. While Wordsworth often focused on nature in his poetry, as many Romantic poets did, Elizabeth explored her own love life, emotions and experiences in Sonnets From The Portuguese. 

So let's explore each of these poets in a little more detail, using some knowledge of their experiences to analyse a small selection of their poems...

Elizabeth Barret Browning: Sonnet 43 (How Do I Love Thee?)

So Elizabeth's story is a powerful one. It's amazing how the brave choice of love over obedience to a draconian father set her free. But it can't have been easy. Elizabeth Barret (nicknamed "Ba" by her family), was held captive not only by the physical restriction of a chronic illness, but also by her father's adamant refusal to permit her or any of his other children to marry. If they did, one by one, they were disowned. Eventually, when Robert Browning - a fellow poet and loving admirer - entered her life, she decided to leave home with him and escape to get married in secret. They then fled to Italy, where they lived in Pisa before settling down in Casa Guidi, Florence. While Robert and Elizabeth were happily in love, Elizabeth tried to get back in touch with her father by writing to him. He never read her letters and returned them unopened, having disowned her completely and refused to see her ever again. 

But true love conquers all. And the doctors had recommended Italy for Elizabeth's health, meaning it was the most beneficial escape she could ever have made for multiple reasons. Arguably the most important reason for this ultimately positive outcome is that she was finally able to live in freedom. She was sad she couldn't reconcile with her father, but she and Robert were together. And Sonnet 43 was an attempt to express just how much and how dearly she loved him...

 While they were courting in secret in 1845, she wrote this sonnet, which was addressed to Robert Browning. It was published in 1850 in her collection, "Sonnets from the Portuguese." 

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

That's how the profoundly beautiful poem begins, followed by an emotive exploration of spiritual and personal themes, reflecting Elizabeth's strong faith in God and her intuitive perception of romantic love, its power and depth. 

William Wordsworth: I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud (Daffodils)

Oh yes. This poem is a masterpiece, reflecting this poet's genius. Anyone who loves spring and feels abundant joy upon seeing a "host of golden daffodils" can appreciate this poem. It is so delightfully descriptive it fills me with poetic pleasure. I hope it can do the same for you!

When examining Daffodils, I have some literary comments to make by sort of cross-referencing with Lucy Maud Montgomery. So when I was reading Daffodils (again) and becoming obsessed with it (again) a few years ago, I was simultaneously reading Emily of New Moon, which our beloved Rosemary Grey had lent me. I enjoyed the book so much and found that the final stanza of Daffodils by William Wordsworth made me think of Emily Byrd Starr, LM Montgomery's main character. This is because Emily describes the joyous, almost heavenly and inexplicable experience of "the flash." Enriched by her imagination, Emily enjoys life's pleasures to the full, despite significant difficulties in her young life. When "the flash" comes, it's comparative to William Wordsworth's description of the daffodils. In the final stanza, Wordsworth writes, 

For oft when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils. 

You see? It's Romanticism's very own English poet experiencing Prince Edward Island's Victorian character's flash! (Apologies, that's quite a mouthful). 

This is the kind of literary connection that "gives me the thrills," as Anne Shirley would approve of me saying. :) 

Elizabeth Barret Browning: The Cry of the Children

When I discovered this poem by Elizabeth recently, my breath was taken away just as it was when I first read and memorised Sonnet 43 as a young teenager. The Cry of the Children is powerful, because it highlights and emphasises the injustices of Victorian society concerning child labour. In this poem, written in 1843, Elizabeth gives the children a voice - something they were often denied. The poem was inspired by the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Children's Employment and came from an outpour of Elizabeth's care, compassion and deep concern. Published in the Blackwood's Magazine, The Cry of the Children became very impactful by raising public awareness and encouraging support for child labour reforms. 

Some of my favourite passages from the poem are the first stanza and the sixth stanza, but I was especially touched by the poetical anecdote on "little Alice" in stanza 4. 

I would highly recommend reading the whole poem for yourself: it is available in full on the Poetry Foundation website for free.  The Cry of the Children | The Poetry Foundation

But here are my favourite passages with some comments from me: 

Do ye hear the children weeping, O my brothers,

      Ere the sorrow comes with years ?

They are leaning their young heads against their mothers, —

      And that cannot stop their tears.

The young lambs are bleating in the meadows ;

   The young birds are chirping in the nest ;

The young fawns are playing with the shadows ;

   The young flowers are blowing toward the west—

But the young, young children, O my brothers,

      They are weeping bitterly !

They are weeping in the playtime of the others,

      In the country of the free.

           Here in the first stanza, Elizabeth introduces the topic of the poem with a poignant question and challenge in the phrase "the country of the free." Surely England with its abolished slavery and its Victorian emphasis on social reform is a free country? And yet how is that compatible with the fact children are "weeping bitterly," because they are forced to work, when they should be playing? 

         I love the comparisons of all the youthful life that is vibrant, energetic and free... in nature and wildlife at least. How unnatural that children - the most important of all God's lovingly-designed creations - were not able to live life abundantly as Jesus wants them to. If I lived in the Victorian era, I would strive to come alongside amazing women like Elizabeth Barret Browning and fight for the rights of children to be... children. And I would try to be Jesus' hands and feet, so that they could climb on my lap and know that I love them - as He does. Children deserve so much better and today, there are still countries in which they are exploited. What are we going to do about it? 

"For oh," say the children, "we are weary,

      And we cannot run or leap —

If we cared for any meadows, it were merely

      To drop down in them and sleep.

Our knees tremble sorely in the stooping —

   We fall upon our faces, trying to go ;

And, underneath our heavy eyelids drooping,

   The reddest flower would look as pale as snow.

For, all day, we drag our burden tiring,

      Through the coal-dark, underground —

Or, all day, we drive the wheels of iron

      In the factories, round and round.

What I absolutely love about this stanza is its accurate portrayal of children's forced industrial labour. Also, I love the first person narration, where the children share their own experiences, using the collective pronoun "we." This is a constant throughout the poem; Elizabeth dips in and out of their narration and her own poetic commentary on what they have to say. The Cry of the Children is so beautifully written and heart-wrenching. Worth a read, but I warn you - it's very emotional and those among us who tear up may need tissues! 

Additional note: the misrepresentation of God by those who oversaw the children's labour is painfully true and so saddening... 

'Our Father !' If He heard us, He would surely

      (For they call Him good and mild)

Answer, smiling down the steep world very purely,

      'Come and rest with me, my child.'

"But, no !" say the children, weeping faster,

      " He is speechless as a stone ;

And they tell us, of His image is the master

      Who commands us to work on.

What more can I say? The powerful words speak for themselves. Definitely food for thought...

William Wordsworth: Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802

I love the vivid descriptions and sensory language in this one! It's a Petrarchan sonnet, written by Wordsworth in the early hours of the morning on Westminster Bridge in London. William had been travelling through London on his way to Calais with his sister Dorothy and paused to enjoy the stillness of the London view from the bridge, the city and river basking in the dawn. 

This poem was the result and is widely considered as one of Wordsworth's finest sonnets, because he combines his Romantic poetic style with an urban setting - unusual for Wordsworth, who generally wrote about rural and natural landscapes, especially in the Lake District. However, in this sonnet, composed on Westminster Bridge in 1802, William Wordsworth masterfully compared an urban setting with the sublime serenity of untamed nature. And that's not just any urban setting - we're talking England's capital, one of the greatest cities in the world! 

Yes, this fresh and peaceful view of London on a tranquil morning before the day's bustling busyness begins is truly worth a read. :)