The Brownings' Correspondence: Volumes 19-22
FAIN: RQ-50424-09
Philip Kelley
Baylor University (Waco, TX 76798-7284)
Editing and preparation of annotations for 652 letters comprising volumes 19-22 of The Brownings' Correspondence covering the period from April 1853 to August 1856. (36 months)
The letters of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, scattered in over 300 public and private collections, represent one of the largest and most comprehensive bodies of literary and social commentary on the nineteenth century. The aim of The Brownings' Correspondence, projected to be 40 volumes, is to publish the complete text of all the poets' letters with full annotations, thus making them accessible to a modern audience. This application requests three-year funding to edit volumes 19-22 of the edition, covering the period April 1853-August 1856. During this time, the Brownings and their correspondents discuss a wide range of social, political, and cultural subjects including women's rights, spiritualism, painting, sculpture, various religious issues, and the Crimean War. The letters in these volumes serve to illuminate the work of both poets as they work on what are arguably their greatest poetic achievements: RB's Men and Women (1855) and EBB's Aurora Leigh (1857).
Media Coverage
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Review)
Author(s): Stone, Marjorie
Publication: Victorian Poetry
Date: 7/19/2016
Abstract: Vol. 50:3 (Fall 2012), pp. 330–335.
Review Essay.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Review)
Author(s): Stone, Marjorie
Publication: Victorian Poetry
Date: 7/19/2016
Abstract: Vol. 51:3 (Fall 2013), pp. 343–346.
Review Essay.
Robert Browning (Review)
Author(s): Bailey, Susanne
Publication: Victorian Poetry
Date: 7/19/2016
Abstract: Vol. 51:3 (Fall 2013), pp. 368–369.
Review Essay.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Review)
Author(s): Taylor, Beverly
Publication: Victorian Poetry
Date: 7/19/2016
Abstract: Vol. 52:3 (Fall 2014), pp. 523–526.
Review Essay.
Robert Browning (Review)
Author(s): Bailey, Susanne
Publication: Victorian Poetry
Date: 7/19/2016
Abstract: Vol. 52:3 (Fall 1014), pp. 537–539.
Review Essay.
Robert Browning (Review)
Author(s): Bailey, Susanne
Publication: Victorian Poetry
Date: 7/19/2016
Abstract: Vol. 53:3 (Fall 2015), pp. 303–306.
Review Essay.
Associated Products
The Brownings’ Correspondence [vol. 19] (Book)Title: The Brownings’ Correspondence [vol. 19]
Author: Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
Author: Browning, Robert
Editor: Kelley, Philip
Editor: Lewis, Scott
Editor: Hagan, Edward
Abstract: March 1853–November 1853, Letters 3174–3290
Volume 19 finds EBB completing corrections for the third edition of her Poems (1853). Although ready for publication as early as May, it is not released until October. In April RB’s Colombe’s Birthday is staged at the Haymarket Theatre in London with Helena Faucit Martin in the title role. The play receives some good notices but closes after seven performances. With the onset of the summer heat in Florence, the poets escape to the relative coolness of Bagni di Lucca, where they become re-acquainted with the William Wetmore Storys. In September, the Brownings’ new young friend, Robert Bulwer Lytton, comes to stay with them for two weeks. They return to Florence in October and begin preparations for a trip to Rome. EBB’s letters in this volume are filled with her growing interest in spiritualism, and, in spite of her husband’s scepticism, the Brownings host two séances at Casa Guidi. Meanwhile, they continue to write poetry: RB works on Men and Women (1855) and EBB on Aurora Leigh (1857). As volume 19 closes, the poets have left Florence and are nearing Rome.
Year: 2012
Primary URL:
http://www.worldcat.org/title/brownings-correspondence-vol-19-march-1853-november-1853-letters-3174-3290/oclc/840003118&referer=brief_resultsPrimary URL Description: Worldcat entry.
Secondary URL:
http://www.browningscorrespondence.com/Secondary URL Description: The Brownings’ Correspondence: An Online Edition.
Access Model: Print volume offered for sale; open access available online.
Publisher: Wedgestone Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780911459364
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes
The Brownings’ Correspondence [vol. 20] (Book)Title: The Brownings’ Correspondence [vol. 20]
Author: Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
Author: Browning, Robert
Editor: Kelley, Philip
Editor: Lewis, Scott
Editor: Hagan, Edward
Editor: Phelan, Joseph
Editor: Williams, Rhian
Abstract: November 1853–November 1854, Letters 3291–3486
Volume 20 opens with the Brownings newly arrived in Rome. The beginning of their stay is darkened by the death of the William Wetmore Storys’ six-year-old son, Joe. Despite the resulting melancholy, the Brownings meet and entertain many new acquaintances, among whom are American artists Harriet Hosmer and William Page; the latter’s portrait of RB is this volume’s frontispiece. The poets spend much time with the actress Fanny Kemble and her sister, the opera singer Adelaide Sartoris. In May, the Brownings return to Florence where they remain for the rest of the year. In September, the Battle of the Alma, the first major engagement of the Crimean War, takes place. It is a victory for the allies (France, England, and Turkey), and the Brownings follow subsequent events with keen interest. The poets’ publications during this period include their only co-authored work, Two Poems (1854), and EBB’s ballad “My Kate” which appears in The Keepsake for 1855, released in November. Meanwhile, numerous passages in the Brownings’ letters touch on their major works in progress: RB’s Men and Women (1855) and EBB’s Aurora Leigh (1857).
Year: 2013
Primary URL:
http://www.worldcat.org/title/brownings-correspondence-vol-20-november-1853-november-1854-letters-3291-3486/oclc/931229226&referer=brief_resultsPrimary URL Description: Worldcat entry.
Secondary URL:
http://www.browningscorrespondence.com/Secondary URL Description: The Brownings’ Correspondence: An Online Edition.
Access Model: Print volume offered for sale; open access available online.
Publisher: Wedgestone Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780911459371
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes
The Brownings’ Correspondence [vol. 21] (Book)Title: The Brownings’ Correspondence [vol. 21]
Author: Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
Author: Browning, Robert
Editor: Kelley, Philip
Editor: Lewis, Scott
Editor: Hagan, Edward
Editor: Phelan, Joseph
Editor: Williams, Rhian
Abstract: November 1855–June 1856, Letters 3678–3809
In Volume 22 the Brownings continue their winter residence in Paris. They read with interest the notices of RB’s Men and Women that begin appearing soon after its publication in November 1855. All the reviews traced for this period are presented in Appendix III, including those by George Eliot and William Morris. The Crimean War formally ends on 30 March 1856 with the signing of a peace treaty in Paris. EBB is disappointed that despite Piedmont’s participation on the allied side, nothing is done to free Italy from Austrian control. Correspondence in this volume includes letters to John Ruskin, in which RB reveals some of his theories about poetry. Although EBB stays inside most of the winter, RB goes out frequently. He attends a dinner hosted by Lady Monson and R.M. Milnes; among the guests are George Sand and Camillo di Cavour. Meanwhile, EBB writes feverishly to complete her modern epic Aurora Leigh, in order to be ready for printing when the Brownings return to London in June. However, as they prepare for departure at the end of the month, much work remains to be done.
Year: 2014
Primary URL:
http://www.worldcat.org/title/brownings-correspondence-vol-21-november-1854-november-1855-letters-3487-3677/oclc/931620013&referer=brief_resultsPrimary URL Description: Worldcat entry.
Secondary URL:
http://www.browningscorrespondence.com/Secondary URL Description: The Brownings’ Correspondence: An Online Edition.
Access Model: Print volume offered for sale; open access available online.
Publisher: Wedgestone Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780911459388
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes