Victorians! discussion

Aurora tells us of her childhood. She is born in Italy of an Italian mother and an English father. Her mother dies early, and by the age of eleven her father passes as well. Orphaned, she is taken to England and her father’s estate to meet her aunt, who will raise her from now on. She goes on at length comparing England with Italy, and her discovery of books, especially poetry, for which she develops quite a passion.

My first impression of this book: this is written so beautifully!

I've just finished this first book, and while it takes my brain a little while to get into the poetry cadence, I have also found it beautifully written and have to restrain myself from too much underlining.

The transition from Tuscany to England must have been such a shock to a 13 year old, particularly to come to live with strangers who I assume would seem very cold compared to her Italian family/community.

I loved her father's decision to move her to the country when her mother died

Because unmothered babes, he thought, had need
Of mother nature more than others use,
And Pan's white goats, with udders warm and full
Of mystic contemplations, come to feed
Poor milkless lips of orphans like his own-
Such scholar-scraps he talked,...

Frances wrote: "The transition from Tuscany to England must have been such a shock to a 13 year old, particularly to come to live with strangers who I assume would seem very cold compared to her Italian family/community."

She draws such wonderful parallels later when she compares the vivacious life in Italy to the restrained and staid life in England.

Frances wrote: "I loved her father's decision to move her to the country when her mother died."

Me too! But then, I'm a country girl through and through :-)
It also shows how loving a father he was and the deep insight of trusting his instincts of what is best for Aurora.

Frances wrote: "I've just finished this first book, and while it takes my brain a little while to get into the poetry cadence, I have also found it beautifully written and have to restrain myself from too much und..."

Like you I have already underlined so much that is both powerful and beautiful at the same time. Her effortless use of iambic pentameter in the blank verse allows the poetry to flow with a satisfying rhythm.

I was also taken by that allusion to the need for finding sustenance in nature when Aurora was deprived of her mother.

Later in England she was also able to escape the tyranny of her aunt …

As if she said, ‘I know there’s something wrong,
I know I have not ground you down enough
To flatten and bake you to a wholesome crust
For household uses and proprieties,…….

through her love of nature…..

I learnt to love that England. Very oft,
Before the day was born, or otherwise
Through secret windings of the afternoons,
I threw my hunters off and plunged myself
Among the deep hills, as a hunted stag
Will take the waters, shivering with the fear
And passion of the course. And when, at last
Escaped,–so many a green slope built on slope
Betwixt me and the enemy’s house behind,
I dared to rest,………

Although the section on poets was quite long and a slight distraction from the main story I did enjoy most of it. Her short description of Keats was memorable.

By Keats’s soul, the man who never stepped
In gradual progress like another man,
But, turning grandly on his central self,
Ensphered himself in twenty perfect years
And died, not young,–(the life of a long life,
Distilled to a mere drop, falling like a tear
Upon the world’s cold cheek to make it burn
For ever;)……….

Towards the end of Book One the relationship and the differences between Aurora and Romney was made clear in a few short lines full of meaning.

Often we walked only two,
If cousin Romney pleased to walk with me.
We read, or talked, or quarrelled, as it chanced;
We were not lovers, nor even friends well-matched–
Say rather, scholars upon different tracks,
And thinkers disagreed; he, overfull
Of what is, and I, haply, overbold For what might be.

Those are beautiful passages, particularly the allusion to Keats-what a gorgeous reminder that despite being short in years his life still allowed such accomplishments and dare we say completion? Much as we often wonder what a Keats or a Mozart could have done if allowed their 3 score years and 10, I also like the thought of accepting that their lives came full circle and have touched the world so profoundly.

I'm pleased to have been given a push to read Aurora Leigh, after it has been sitting on my shelf for more years than I care to remember. I've started it once or twice before but never got very far so now I am determined to finish it. In spite of finding 19th century literature generally easy to read, and also enjoying poetry, I have so far found Book 1 to be a mix of lovely writing and slightly impenetrable ideas. I definitely had to stop and re-read certain sections to get to the sense of what EBB was saying.

I enjoyed the sections describing her passionate love of books, but also appreciated the dry humour with which she outlined the so-called learning she was forced into by her aunt. A sense of humour is evidently not something her aunt possesses, with "her somewhat narrow forehead braided tight / As if for taming accidental thoughts" - such a good image!

Lorna wrote: "I have so far found Book 1 to be a mix of lovely writing and slightly impenetrable ideas. I definitely had to stop and re-read certain sections to get to the sense of what EBB was saying."

She had quite the vocabulary! I've had to look up numerous words, and then there are all the references to Greek mythology, classic literature and the Bible and faith. I am sure if one truly picked it apart you'd find layers of meaning.

I finished book 1 and agree with all of you on her beautiful writing. So rich and powerful that it took my breath away.

I enjoyed the parallels she made between the two countries and had a chuckle over Aurora's humourous account of her first impressions on England and of her aunt.

The education given to Aurora is the standard one for women of the 19th century. But her love and thirst for books which she has acquired through her father had shaped her character differently. So, it is obvious at this point that Aurora will not be a conventional 19th-century woman. She has too much individualism to be submissive to the whims and fancies of society.

Frances wrote: "Those are beautiful passages, particularly the allusion to Keats-what a gorgeous reminder that despite being short in years his life still allowed such accomplishments and dare we say completion? M..."

The allusion to Keats was so touching that it warmed my heart. He is my favorite Romantic poet. And it was so tragic that he had to die young. But as you say, Frances, he lived a complete literary life for so short a life span.

Piyangie wrote: "So, it is obvious at this point that Aurora will not be a conventional 19th-century woman. She has too much individualism to be submissive to the whims and fancies of society."

Aurora is a fish out of water, so to speak. The Italy she grew up in is so different than the England she lives in now. Where there was sunshine, exuberance and joy of life all around her, she now is in a literally cold and wet climate, where propriety and a stiff upper lip is expected. She is part of both, but in her exuberance of youth she can't help but express her Italian side.

Although I am behind the schedule, Iike Lorna I'm appreciative of the push to read this work and will try to catch up. I'm afraid I do find long poems more dense to read through even if I am just reading and not studying and looking up all the textual allusions.

In this first book I thought her love of reading is one of the best descriptions I've read of how literature transforms a life.
Does anyone know how close Aurora is to the real Elizabeth?

I am also behind the schedule, I am relishing the book too much to finish on time, I expected that because last year I read Sonnets from the Portuguese .

Also . I can afford to be late because I have already read both Moonstone and Villette in 2021.

Clarissa wrote: "Although I am behind the schedule, Iike Lorna I'm appreciative of the push to read this work and will try to catch up. I'm afraid I do find long poems more dense to read through even if I am just r...

Does anyone know how close Aurora is to the real Elizabeth?"

There are a number of essays and articles suggesting that Aurora Leigh was at least semi-autobiographical. The fact that Aurora is a poet immediately suggests this, but critics go on to identify many other elements of the poem that represent Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s own life and thoughts.

Here is one short article that demonstrates this. The author mainly quotes from books 1 and 2, but also from book 5, so be aware of this if you have not read that book yet.

https://literaryreviewsandcriticisms....

Thanks for sharing the article, Trev!
Aurora certainly goes into deep reflections throughout the poem, not all of them dealing with the role of women. At times I wonder what she is getting at, why she jumps into a certain train of thought not easily followed. It would take a deep dive to puzzle some of these out.