Robert Browning

Robert Browning (7 May 1812 - 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets. IOut of the little chapel I burst Into the fresh night-air again. Five minutes full, I waited first In the doorway, to escape the rainThat drove in gusts down the common's centre At the edge of which the chapel stands, Before I plucked up heart to enter. Heaven knows how many sorts of handsReached past me, groping for the latchOf the inner door that hung on catchMore obstinate the more they fumbled, Till, giving way at last with a scoldOf the crazy hinge, in squeezed or tumbled One sheep more to the rest in fold, And left me irresolute, standing sentryIn the sheepfold's lath-and-plaster entry, Six feet long by three feet wide, Partitioned off from the vast inside- I blocked up half of it at least. No remedy; the rain kept driving. They eyed me much as some wild beast,

"Men and Women" was Robert Browning's first published work after a self-imposed five year hiatus, and his first collection of shorter poems since his marriage to Elizabeth Barrett in 1846. Upon publication in 1855, "Men and Women," containing fifty-one seemingly random poems, was not a critical or financial success. During this period, Browning felt overshadowed by the stellar success of his wife. Later in life, renewed public interest in his writing would elevate Robert Browning into the pantheon of greatest poets. Thirteen years after the publication of "Men and Women," Browning revisited the collection, and a new vision emerged. He separated the simpler, emotionally rhymed poems, such as "Mesmerism" and "A Woman's Last Word," and the picturesque rhymed verse, such as "Childe Roland" and "The Statue and the Bust," from their more complex companions, such as "Cleon," "Fra Lippo," and "Rudel". Finally, Browning succeeded in producing the dramatic concept he had tried to communicate two decades earlier, not by adding, but by removing stray conceptual pieces. This volume was then published as "Transcendentalism: A Poem In Twelve Books" to a frenzied reception. This large sized special edition contains the restored manuscript of Robert Browning's unique poetic masterpiece. Excerpt From "Andrea Del Sarto" in "Men and Women" All Rights Reserved But do not let us quarrel any more, No, my Lucrezia; bear with me for once: Sit down and all shall happen as you wish. You turn your face, but does it bring your heart? I'll work then for your friend's friend, never fear, Treat his own subject after his own way, Fix his own time, accept too his own price, And shut the money into this small hand When next it takes mine. Will it? tenderly? Oh, I'll content him--but to-morrow. Love I often am much wearier than you think, This evening more than usual, and it seems As if--forgive now--should you let me sit Here by the window with your hand in mine And look a half-hour forth on Fiesole, Both of one mind, as married people use, Quietly, quietly the evening through, I might get up to-morrow to my work Cheerful and fresh as ever. Let us try.

This authoritative edition was originally published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode. It brings together a unique combination of Browning's poetry and prose chosen from the whole range of his career to give the essence of his work and thinking. Browning's work ranges from the beguiling magic of 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' to the epic book-length poem The Ring and the Book. This comprehensive selection includes over eighty of his shorter poems, amongst them his most famous and best-loved dramatic monologues, as well as the complete text of many of his longer poems (Pauline, Pippa Passes, 'Bishop Blougram's Apology'). It contains three books from The Ring and the Book and Browning's only significant piece of critical writing (the 'Essay on Shelley'). This edition also selects generously from the love letters between Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, as well as from Browning's more general correspondence - letters which cast a unique light upon the poems themselves, and poetry in general. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.