Early life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning; born in 1820;*
the chief sorrow of her life; the Barrett family settle in London;
"The Cry of the Children" and its origin; Miss Barrett's friends;
effect on her of Browning's poetry; she makes Browning's acquaintance in 1846;
her early belief in him as a poet; her physical delicacy
and her sensitiveness of feeling; personal appearance of Robert Browning;
his "electric" hand; Elizabeth Barrett discerns his personal worth,
and is susceptible to the strong humanity of Browning's song;
Mr. Barrett's jealousy; their engagement; Miss Barrett's acquaintance
with Mrs. Jameson; quiet marriage in 1846; Mr. Barrett's resentment;
the Brownings go to Paris; thence to Italy with Mrs. Jameson;
Wordsworth's comments; residence in Pisa; "Sonnets from the Portuguese";
in the spring they go to Florence, thence to Ancona,
where "The Guardian Angel" was written; Casa Guidi;
W. W. Story's account of the rooms at Casa Guidi; perfect union.
--
* This date is a typographical error, but the date given in the text itself,
1809, is also incorrect -- it should be 1806. Mr. Sharp's
lack of knowledge on this subject is understandable, however,
as, to quote from Mrs. Orr's "Life and Letters of Robert Browning" (1891):
"She looked much younger than her age, which [Robert Browning]
only recently knew to have been six years beyond his own." -- A. L., 1996.
--