After reading Elizabeth's works I could not wait to read what Robert had to write. Unfortunately I was slightly disappointed. It could be that I am biased because Elizabeth is a woman and I can relate to her more. However, as the book states it Robert Browning "had aquired a further mask that he had not sought: that of 'Mrs. Browning's husband'" (661). I found Brownings work to be the most difficult to understand out of all the work we have read so far.
I enjoyed reading Porphyria's Lover. I understand that the speaker killed Porphyria because he wanted to keep the moment that was so perfect but I did not understand why he could not have let her live and continue to have perfect moments. After doing some research of this poem I learned that Porphyria was not the speakers wife and that they were having an adulterous relationship. I also learned that because of this adulterous relationship Porphyria worried about society's view of her and the speaker worried that eventually she would give into the pressure of the society and stop seeing him. This helped me make sense of the poem and I began to understand it as a whole. I went back and read the poem from the beginning and was shocked that I did not pick up on this meaning before. One line states: "That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and good:" (663). For the first time he had this beautiful woman all to himself and he believed that the love was pure and she would not leave him. But to be on the safe side he decided to kill her and keep it that way because he did not want to lose her. He had her to himself and he was not sure that he would be able to let her go.
One thing that I did enjoy alot was actually not from a work but in a letter to Elizabeth Barrett before Robert had met her. In reading the background information of Robert I learned that he wrote to her "I love your verses with all my heart, --and I love you too." To not even know someone and be able to put your heart our there so boldly and then eventually marry the person and spend your lives together happy...how adorable!
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2 comments:
Valerie,
It is always interesting to watch student's reactions to "Porphyria's Lover," and you do a particularly nice job of reacting not with mere shock and alarm but with curiosity and interest. Good posting.
Valerie,
I enjoyed reading your reaction to "Porphyria's Lover". For some strange reason I really liked Robert Brownings work despite its twisted nature. I really enjoyed the quote you used in this entry because It is one I had overlooked when I read the poem my myself. I think it is interesting that the character in Brownings poem would think that by killing his lover he could preserve the moment!
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