To edit the initial four volumes of the correspondence of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning

To support the preparation of an edition of the complete correspondence of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

To support continuing preparation of an edition of the complete correspondence of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

To support the preparation of an edition of the correspondence of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning.

To support the publication of two volumes in an edition of the complete correspondence of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

To support the publication of volume 12 in an edition of the correspondence of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Project director Philip Kelley and co-project director Edward Hagan are editing and preparing for print and digital publication Volumes 28-30 of the letters of prominent English writers Robert Browning (1812-1889) and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861). (36 months)

The letters of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, scattered in 383 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 28-30, October 1860-December 1864. During this time, correspondents discuss various political, social, and cultural topics and personalities, including Italian unification, the U.S Civil War, art, music, literature, religion, Tennyson, George Eliot, and Garibaldi. The primary focus, however, is EBB's death and its effect on her husband and son. RB publishes his wife's Last Poems and his own Dramatis Personae; the latter marks a turning point in his popularity.

Preparation of annotations for 445 letters making up volumes 15-18 of The Brownings' Correspondence covering the years 1848-1852 and published by Wedgestone Press.

The works and lives of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning had a profound influence on nineteenth-century literature and culture and continue to have a significant and lasting impact on world literature. Their poetry, published during their lifetimes, received intense scrutiny and much praise from the reading public and literary critics. Upon their deaths, and later with the publication of their love letters in 1899, public and scholarly attention increased. The story of their romantic courtship, marriage, and flight to Italy has been told and retold through books, plays, musicals, films, and television. Interest in Robert Browning's poetry has never waned. There are currently in progress three scholarly editions of his complete works. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry has received increased focus in the last thirty years during which time there has been an explosion of scholarly articles and critical and biographical studies. Unfortunately, this interest and enthusiasm is greatly impeded in that a large part of the Brownings' literature - their correspondence - remains virtually inaccessible. Scattered in over 300 public and private collections, their letters represent one of the largest and most comprehensive bodies of literary and social commentary on the nineteenth century. The aim of The Brownings' Correspondence is to publish the complete text of all the Brownings' letters with full annotations, thereby making them accessible and understandable to a modern audience. Thus far, 14 volumes, of a projected 40, have been edited with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The present application requests three-year funding to edit a further four volumes of the edition, covering the years 1848-1852. During this period, the Brownings and their correspondents discuss a wide range of social, political, and cultural subjects, some of which include the revolutions sweeping through Europe, Italian unification, slavery, women's rights, education, and freedom of the press. The letters in these volumes also serve to illuminate the work of both poets: RB's Poems (1849) and Christmas-Eve and Easter Day (1950); EBB's Poems (1850) and Casa Guidi Windows (1851).

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).

Completion of editorial work on volumes 25-27 of the letters of prominent English writers Robert Browning (1812-1889) and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861). (36 months)

The letters of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, scattered in 379 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 25-27, September 1858-September 1860. During this time correspondents discuss a broad range of political, social, and cultural topics and personalities, including American slavery, Harriet Beecher Stowe, art, literature, Ruskin, Dumas, the Rossettis, Anthony Trollope, religion, the Pope, and women's rights. The primary focus, however, is Italian unification and the principals involved, e.g., Napoleon III and Cavour. EBB's poetry, especially her Poems Before Congress (1860), supports the cause.

The preparation of a CD-ROM edition of the correspondence of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning.