Elizabeth Barrett Browning & Robert Browning
A True Love Story
In-Class Reading
Sonnets number 43 by Elizabeth Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Pre-reading questions
1. Who are Robert Browning and Elizabeth
Barrett Browning?
2. Time and place they live?
3. Describe Elizabeth and Browning
4. How did they get to know each other?
5. How did the love affair occur?
6. describe their marriage
7. describe Elizabeth’s father
In Class Discussion
7 questions
1. Who are Robert Browning and
Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
• English Poets
• one of most romantic
literary couple from the
Victorian period
2. Time and place they live
The Victorian era of the United
Kingdom,
which was the period of Queen
Victoria's reign from June 1837
until her death on the 22nd of
January 1901.
3. Describe Elizabeth and Browning
E: Para 2 & note 1 B: para 3 & note 1
sick (lung disease; semi- Similar childhood to E
invalid)
eldest of 12 children (2 A bank clerk’s son
sisters)
studying Greek, Reading,
reading, studying Greek, writing & struggling to
poetry writing publish poems
Single at 30
4. How did they get to know
each other?
Para 4
para 5: 1st two
sentences
5. How did the romance (love
affair) started and developed?
Para 5
• Frequent but formal / impersonal
correspondence
• Friendship…compatible intellectually and
spiritually
• Robert Browning’s confession
Para 6
• Secret meeting & writing everyday
Para 7
• Eloped and married
6. describe their marriage
Para 7
• Secret marriage in Sep.
1846 (how?)
• Eloped to Italy
• Had a son in1849
• Extremely happy for 15 years
(until?)
• E died in 1816
(Robert Browning never entirely
recovered from the loss of his wife)
7. describe Elizabeth’s father
• He forbad… He prevented …
• He was shocked … He hated….
--all in all, he objected….
How do you think of him?
Oedipus
Language study
他们的浪漫故事主要 Their romance took place
是通过信件进行的。 primarily by mail.
他很小的时候就开始写诗。 He wrote poetry at a very young age.
他们开始了秘密的信件 They began a secret correspondence.
往来。
They seemed to be perfectly
他们似乎在心智上非常
compatible, both intellectually
融洽。 and spiritually.
Words
• Poet
n. writer of poems 诗人
• Poetry
1) a quality of beauty, grace, and deep feeling 诗意，
诗意般的美
This outstanding dancer’s performance on the stage is
pure poetry
2) poems（不可数名词）诗歌（总称），诗集
She is fond of Chinese poetry very much.
• Poem
诗歌，散文（可数名词）
Original sentences:
• L3: This love story is famous for it purity, its poetry,
and its passion.
• L9: From childhood she spent her time reading,
studying Greek, and writing poetry. Her poems
were published and became popular …
• L25: he studied Greek, read a great deal, and
wrote poetry at a very young age.
• L30: One day, Robert was reading some of
Elizabeth’s poems. He admired her poetry very
much.
• passion
n. a strong, deep, often uncontrollable feeling 强
烈的感情，激情
他对于收藏古钱币的强烈爱好使他对于别的事情都是视
而不见。--translate it into English
His passion for collecting ancient coins made him blind
to everything else.
• passionate
adj. 热情的，感情强烈的，激昂的
Tom 是一个非常喜欢流行音乐的人。
Tom is a passionate lover of pop music.
• primarily
adv. in the first place; essentially 首先，主要地，基本地
Original sentence:
L4: But most of all, it is famous because their romance
took place primarily by mail.
Translation:
航班延误了，主要是由于大雾。
The flight was delayed primarily because of the fogs
.primary adj. 第一的；基本的；主要的
primary goals; a primary effect;
primary sources; a primary interest.
struggle (Line 27, Para. 3)
Verb
• As a young adult, he continued to read and write, and
struggled to publish his work.
Trans:
他努力控制住自己的脾气。
He struggled to control his temper.
• struggle for freedom / independence
• There were signs that he struggled with his attacker.
• Noun.
• 在打斗中, 有几个人受伤。
Several people were hurt in the struggle.
correspondence (Line 37, Para. 5) n
1) the act of exchanging letters 通信，通信联系
L37: With this letter, Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning began
a secret correspondence.
correspondent:
a journalist, especially one who specializes in a particular type of
news.
correspond .v.
We've corresponded (with each other) for years.
2) agreement, similarity 符合，一致；相称
e.g.
There isn’t much correspondence between their views and
ours.
Your account of events corresponds with hers.
They seems to be perfectly compatible, both
intellectually and spiritually. L41
intellectually
adv. from a rational, not an emotional point of view; in a way that needs
serious thought 智力方面，思维方面
intellectual adj. of or relating to the intellect; rational 智力的；需用智慧的
adv. in a manner indicating a purity of thought or feeling 精神上，心灵上
spiritually
spiritual adj. of the spirit or soul; of religion 精神的；心灵的；宗教上的
e.g.
spiritual life
spiritual leader
词义辨析 intellectual 和 intelligent
An intelligent person is someone with a quick and clever mind.
intelligent 用来形容人的头脑的（先天的）敏捷和聪明。
An intellectual person is someone who is well-educated and
interested in subjects which need long periods of study.
intellectual 用来形容某人接受过良好的教育
和对某些需要长时间专业学习的事物有兴趣。
Intellectual—intellect n.
Intelligent—intelligence n.
词义辨析 intellect 和 intelligence
intellect: power of the mind to reason (contrasted with feeling
and instinct) 理解力；悟力；智力(和感情与本能相对)
eg. Intellect distinguishes man from animals.
智力使人区别于动物。
As we know, Albert Einstein is a man of intellect.
我们都知道爱因斯坦是有个有智慧的人。
intelligence: the power of seeing, learning, understanding and
knowing; mental ability 智力；才智
eg. The children were given an intelligence test.
那些孩子们接受了智力测验。
When the water-pipe burst, she had the intelligence to turn
the water off at the main.
当水管破裂时，她有头脑想到将总管关上。
back
spiritual 反义词形式：material
material wealth
material world
material comforts
Material well-being
back
ceremony (Line 54, Para. 7)
• Then, in September, 1846, in a secret marriage ceremony,
Elizabeth Barrett became Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
opening ceremony closing ceremony
diminish (Line 57, Para. 7)
…but his anger could not diminish their
happiness.
Trans:
他的病让他的身体渐渐变得虚弱。
His illness gradually diminished his strength.
Exercises
Vocabulary
Translation