Robert-Browning

E1003CoralIntroductionBorn7May1812Camberwell,London,EnglandDied12December1889(aged77)Venice,ItalyOccupationPoet与丁尼生齐名，是维多利亚时代两大诗人之一。•1812:BorninCamberwell,asuburbofLondon•1824:begantowritepoetry•1833:hisfirstimportantpoem---Pauline---waspublished•1835:hisnextpoem---Paracelsus•1845:BrowningmetElizabethBarrettandgotmarriedinthenextyear.•1861:AfterElizabethBrowningdied,hereturnedtoEngland,andbecamepartoftheLondonliterarycircle,thathisreputationstartedtotakeoff.•1889:hislastbook,Asolando,waspublishedthedayofhisdeath,December12,1889.•hewasburiedatWestminsterAbbey.MajorWorksPartingatMorning《晨别》•TheRingandtheBook,指环与书•MenandWomen,男人女人•DramaticLyrics戏剧抒情诗•Paracelsus巴拉塞尔士MeetingatNight《月夜相会》•HomeThoughtsfromAbroad《异国相思》•MyLastDuchess我已故的公爵夫人FamousSayings•“Godinhisheaven,All'srightwiththeworld”•上帝在他的天堂里，整个世界都是美好的。•引申义为“神不为者,人为之。”Theyear'satthespring一年之计在于春,Andday'satthemorn;一日之计在于晨.Morning'satseven;一晨之计在七时，Thehillside'sdew-pearled;山坡上装点着珍珠般的露水;Thelark'sonthewing;云雀在风中飞跃;Thesnail'sonthethorn;山垆上蜗牛在爬行;God'sinhisheaven---All'srightwiththeworld.上帝在他的天堂里---整个世界都是那么祥和、太平、美好！Pippa'sSongDramaticMonologue•'MyLastDuchess'isanamazingly,terrifyingly,creepypoembyRobertBrowning,whowasaVictorianpoetbornin1812anddiedin1889.Hewasbornintoacomfortablymiddle-classfamilyandmarriedfellowpoetElizabethBarrett.He'sbestknownforhisdramaticmonologues,ofwhich'MyLastDuchess'isone.Youcankindoftellbecauseit'sgot'my'inthetitle.Thattipsyouoffthatitmightbeinthefirstpersonandthereforemightbeamonologue.•It'sbasicallyjustaspeechinaparticularcharacter'svoice,andpartofthepointisthecharacterofthespeaker.Insomepoems,thereisan'I'whodeliversthepoem,butthefocusismuchmoreonthesubjectmatterthanitisonthespeaker.Butinamonologue,partofthefunisfiguringoutwhoisthisguy?Whatishetalkingabout?Ishebeinghonestwithus?Allofthosearequestionsthatcomeupinstufflikethis.•Dramaticmonologueisakindofpoeminwhichasinglefictionalorhistoricalcharacterotherthanthepoetspeakstoasilent“audience”ofoneormorepersons.•Suchpoemsrevealnotthepoet’sownthoughtsbutthemindoftheimpersonatedcharacter,whosepersonalityisrevealedinthepresenceofanlistener,whichdistinguishesfromasoliloquy.Background•Publishedin1842,thispoemisbasedonthelifeofAlfonsoII,dukeofFerrarainthesixteenthcentury.Theduke'sfirstwifediedafterthreeyearsofmarriage.•Thepoemiswrittenintheformofthedukeaddressingtotheagentsentbytheprospectivefather-in-lawtonegotiatemarriageterms.•Thepoemiswrittenin28rhymedcoupletsofiambicpentameter.MyLastDuchess•Thisparticulardramaticmonologueisthoughttobespokenbythe16th-centuryItalianDukeofFerrara,whowasarealdude.HemarriedadaughteroftheMedicifamilynamedLucreziawhenshewasonly13yearsold-OMG,that'ssoyoung.Andbythetimeshewas17,shewasdead,andhe'dabandonedherayearbeforethat,soheisnotsuchagreatdudeitseems.•Thepoemisstructuredaroundhimtalkingaboutapaintingofhis'lastduchess'-orLucrezia-who'snowdead.TheDukeofFerrarawasarealdude,andthispaintingisthoughttobearealpaintingofLucreziathatexists;youcanlookatit.Theme•Thethemeisthearrogant,authoritarianmindsetofaproudRenaissanceduke.Inthisrespect,themoreimportantportraitinthepoemistheonethedukepaintsofhimselfwithhiswords.•《圣普拉西德教堂的主教吩咐后事》•TheBishopOrdersHisTombatSaintPraxed'sChurch•《失去的恋人》•TheLostMistress•《荒郊情侣》•TwointheCampagnaPoeticStyle•Hisstylewashighlyindividual,andoftenmoreintentonmeaningthanonform.•Heisgoodatanalyzingthecausesofspiritualgrowthanddecayaswellasmotiveandcountermotive.•Histhemeisobscureandhardtounderstand.Influence•MuchofRobertBrowning'slegacyonliterarycreationinthenineteenthandtwentiethcenturiescomesfromthedramaticmonologue.•Victorianandmodernpoetshavefounditcanfullypresentthecharacterswhoarequitealientotheirvaluesandbeliefsbyallowingthemtospeakforthemselves.•Butthisputsagreaterburdenonthereader,andmaybethesourceoftheideathatliterature,especiallypoetry,isnotapopularform,andisreallyonlytobeenjoyedbyspecialists.•Thesemonologuesgreatlyinfluencedmanylaterpoets,includingT.S.EliotandEzraPound.UnderstandingLiteraryPeriods•CharacteristicsofVictorianliteraturearelikelysimilarbecausetheartistswereinspiredbothbytheartthatcamebeforethemandtheeventsoccurringduringthetimethattheywereworking.So,somethingcanseemVictorian,butnothavebeenwrittenintheVictorianera,orsomethingwrittenintheVictorianeramightnotactuallyseemVictorian.Forexample,CharlotteandEmilyBrontewroteJaneEyreandWutheringHeightsinwhatwouldbeconsideredtheVictorianera,butthosenovelshavemuchmorequalitiesoftheRomanticperiod.MajorEventsoftheVictorianEra•Ahugegrowthinpopulation.DuringVictoria'sreign,thepopulationofEnglandmorethandoubled,from14millionto32million.•Therewerealsosomesignificantimprovementsintechnology.TheVictorianeraslightlyoverlapswithBritain'sIndustrialRevolution,whichsawbigchangestothewaythatpeoplelived,worked,andtraveled.•AnothercharacteristicoftheVictorianeraarechangingworldviews.Inadditiontothemajordevelopmentsintechnology,therewereemergingscientificbeliefs,likeCharlesDarwin'stheoryofevolution,andthosethingswerechanginghowpeopleinEnglandthoughtaboutthemselvesandhowtheyinteractedwiththeworldaroundthem.