ROBERT BROWNING'S RELIGION

AS SHOWN IN HIS CHARACTERS

Thesis for the Degree of M. A.
MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE

Beth Laura Lepperf
I949

 

 

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ggms ABSTRACT

ROBERT BROI‘I'NIHG'S Rfl-IGION AS SHOWN IN HIS CHARACTES

By
Beth Laure Lepnert

Religion'eee et the beeie of Robert Brawning'e chereeter end it
III the function.of religioue poetry thet hie work fulfilled. ’Men.end
‘eomen'were the meene by which he oxpreeeed hie religion. Into en imag-
inery pereon taken from veried eettinge, he put hie one thoughte. Thee
ie the poet'e religion eeen in hie cherectere.

Thie ie the plen of the theeier The first end leet chaptere give
en over-ell picture of Browning's religion. In the intermediate chep-
tore Browning epeake for himelf of the mime eepecte of hie religion.
All theeezeepecte -- hie ettitude toward eoionoe. nineteenth century
eecte, progreee, love, immortality, doubt, unity, and free Will ...
taken together reveal hie religion point of View. They define that
point of View ee myeticel. treneeendentel, entinretionelietic, ell of
which ie an implicit criticiem.o£ the nineteenth century'e drift toward
e oomproniee of religion in.ehich beliefe not eueceptible to e retionel
explenetionneere quietly dieoerded. Thie then ie the lubetenoe of the
P327”.

Browning believed that the meet important nutter in the world ie
the eoul of men end thet e eenee of effort ie coincident with the eoul'e
development. By noting the chronology of Braening'e poeme*ee‘mey eeoer-

tein the progreee of hie own eoul. Hie eerly pone contain little

-1-

 

—_

CI‘J'II
of d:

to t]

divi

h‘.

H

Ito

Chrietienity but, after reeolving hie own ekeptioiem by the diecavery
’ of divine love ee menifeet in Chriet, he added from that time forward
to the philoeophy of progreee in hie poetry the glorification of God.
The numeroue unifeetaticne of thie ell-prevailing divine lore. link-
ing God to men, have ee their aim progreee.

Brming'e immortality nee colored eemeuhat by thie belief in
divine love but etill more by hie belief in progreee. Immortality to
him wee no more a piece of reward than of piniehnmt. It nee eimply
a continuation of the life begun on earth -. another etage of develop-
ment.

Three movement. - the Oxford crieie. trenecendentaliem, and the
Broad Church - canprieing the me; or tremde in Victorian religioue
thought are reflected to varying degreee in Browning'e poetry. He too]:
little intereet in the Oxford Movanalt but use effected greatly by
tnnecendenteliem. Both the Broad Church Movement and trenecendentel-
ien championed an earnest and free epirituel faith which, in the one
of the Breed Church, m eleo Chrietien. The letter explaine Braening'e
religioue attitude for ite empheeie, like hie, nee on conduct, not degree.
Hence Broming echnired in Catholicien ell that wee eincere but reflected
their dom- Nc religicue eeot, in feet. fitted hie teetee perfectly
although that of the Non-Conformiete came cloeeet. Hie religion eece

to be eunned up in the doctrine of e univeree divinely governed.

 

ROBE? BROWNING'S RMJGIOH AS SHOWN IN HIS CHARACTMS

BY

Beth hare Leppert

A T327313
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studiee of Michigan
State College of Agriculture and Applied Science
in partial fulfillnut of the requireeente
for the degree of
MAST!!! OF ARTS

Department of 33in eh

1949

PRIFAC 3

John J. Chapman, in hie aeecrtion that Robert Browning nae a theolo-
gian and a doctor of philoeophy, pointe out that Browning himeelf tried
to eho'e that a poet ie a religioue teacher. He etatee that Brming'e
own definite creed ie fully eet forth in any one of twenty poem. Relig-

ion nae at the baeie of the poet's character and it me the function of

religioue poetry that hie work fulfilled. What that religion nae and

how it my be divined from the charactere in hie poeme ie the eubject of
thie paper.

Men and men were the meane by which Broening expreeeed hie relig-
ion. he had been comparatively unencceeeful at the drama. Thie new
type of literature, however, called the dramatic monologue, which he him-
eelf evolved, euited hit neede naturally. The lettinge of theee dramatic
monologuee are varied. The country may be Greece. Italy, or the Holy
Land; the time may be ac remote ae the Old Teetanent. the Renaieeance, or
the early yeare of our Lord. And into an imaginary pereon of euch a eet-
ting, he put hie own thoughte. Thue ie Robert Browning's religion eeen
in hie charactere.

The range of Browning'e ideae le not ae great ae the range of hie
poetry. The ground he goee over ie pretty mch the eame; the argumente
he one are the me. For thie reaeon, and for the reaeon that one
example often eervee ae well ae a doeen. the liet of charactere choeen in
thie paper to illuetrate one particular point of Browning'e religion ie
euggeetive rather than complete. Many more could have been added had

they eemed neceeeary, for Browning hae furniehed ue with ample examplee.

ii

It hae been acid that no man invente hie own theology but takee it
from the current world and moulde it to hie needs. Robert Browning me
no exception. Juet how very true thie me of him will be eeen in the
varieue parte of thie paper. Hie emphaeie on progreee wae particularly
charactu'ietic of the middle nineteenth century and hie Chrietianity,
although ehaped to hie own pereonality, wae drawn fron the Victorian
century. Thue, John Chapman could eay,

It wae inevitable that Robert Browning ehould find and eeiee

upon ae hie creed all that me Optinietic in Chrietian the-

ology. Everything that nae hopeful, hie epirit acceptef;

everything that nae ... for the brave eoul he embraced.
Browning'e nyetioiem in like mnner wae drawn from hie century.

The firet chapter of thie paper ie an outline of Robert Browning'e
religion ae ehoen in hie charactere. There. each of the aepecte of
Browning'e religion ie mentioned briefly. The outline ie intentionally
eketchy eince it ie to eerve eubeequent chaptere only ae an opening move-
ment doee a piece of meic. In these later chaptere the varime phaeee
of myeticimm -- progreee, love, doubt, faith, tranecendentaliem, immor-
tality -- the poet'e attitude toward ecience and toward nineteenth cen-
tury form of religioue thought are diecueeed. each in turn. Although
there in an attempt in these later chaptere. for the eake of clarity, to
divide Browning'e religion on the baeie of these different aepecte. it
met be confeeeed that any auch eeparaticn ie neceeearily artificial.
The myetical thread of unity at the root of and connecting all hie ideal

doee not allow any euch cleavage.

 

 

1?John Jay Champ, greet-eon and Other genie, “5-513.

 

iii

There is likewise an overlapping of hie ideae within hie written
unrke. Ae hae been etated before, hie creed may be found fully eet
forth in any one of a number of poene. One poem, for inetance, dcee
not tell of eucceee in failure alone while a eecond deale with love ex-
clueively and etill a third is given to progress. Rather, each poem,
although one of theee featurce may predominate, ie likely to include
love, eucceee in failure, progress, and even more.

Perhape a minor point of thie paper, aeide from.pointing out how
Browning dieclceed hie religion through the persons in his poene, ie
to determine the extent of hie Chrietianity. This eeeme to have been
much debated among the critics. Some have called him the greateet
Chrietian poet of the age. Othere have etated that he nae hardly
Chrietian at all in certain reepecte. Thue the intermediate chaptere
(Chaptere IIdVIII) may contain frequent referenoee to Brouning'e Chrie-
tianity for they deal primarily with hie pceme -- and theee are nothing
more than hie philosophy pit into the mouthe of men and women. No at-
tempt ie made, however, to draw’a conclueion regarding hie Chrietianity
until the laet chapter.

Finally, then, the plan of the caper ie thie: The firet and laet
chaptere are primarily critical. They try to give a general over-all
picture of Robert Bronning'e religion ae shown in the charactere of hie
poeme. In the chaptere nhich lie between I. let Browning epeek for him-
eelt. {

TABLE OF COTTTETTTS

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter I Brewing, Non-Conformiet and hiyetic. . . . .
Chapter II The Soul and Ite Progreee. . . . . . . . . .
Chapter III Developnent of Browning'e Own Soul . . .. . .
ChapterIV Love....................
Chapter-V Imortality.................
Chapter VI Browning, 19th Century Religicue Philoecpher
Chapter VII Browning Allaye 19th Century Skepticism. . .
Chaptc VIII Morale and Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . e
ChapterIX Conclueion.................

Bibliography e e e e e e e e e e u e e e‘e e e e e e e e e

Chaptm' I

BRG’CTI'T-TG, non-cowomsr Ana warm

That a writer'e characters are often his own mouth-piecee ie true
of Robert Browning'e. In them we can hie thoughts, philosophy, and re-
ligion. In their aotione we perceive hie myeticiem, hie non-Conformiet
background,and hie attitude toward nineteenth century religion.

Myeticiem ie comprieed of varioue aepecte --- progrcee of the ecul,
love.imncrtality, determination, the power of limitation, free will,
doubt, faith, tranecendentaliem, and dog-u vereue conduct --- and Brown-
ing'e character: reveal hie attitude toward each of these. They all
epeak of what Browning, an a nineteenth century mystic, held ae hie re-
ligicn.

"yeticism is characterized by unity. The aboveomentioned phaeee
may be cited ae one instance for, running through them, connecting them,
eo that one phase cannot be isolated from the cthere ie a current of
unity. We cannot, for instance, eeparate determination fron‘the prog-
reee of the coal for determination helpe the eoul to grow, Heithcr can
immortality be ieolated from progreee or from love, and so on. mob ie
united to the othere. Another inetance ie the myetic’e view of? life.
Fe believed that all things were unified. ‘érowning, epeaking through
the personalities; of hie poems, ehcvred that good and evil often fuee,
hat emotion cannot be eeparated from thought, that the mind met not
dieclaim the body, that the spiritual and material worlde are linked and
that knowledge and love must not be eeparated. To the myetic all phaeee

of life ehow thie unity.

-2-

In ite larger sense, however, nyeticiem is an elusive term. To
the queetion, ”What is mysticism?" Caroline Spurgecn replies,

‘iyeticism ie a term which it does not seen possible eatis-

factorily to define, perhaps because a quality which ie

above reason is in its very essence undefinable. It is

possible, however, to some sextant to analyze and interpret

it. It is an attitude toward life, a mode of thought, a

temper rather than a doctrine, an atmosphere rather than a

eyetem of philosophy.

The ”analyeis" which Hiee Spurgeon makes of mysticism amounts to a con-
victicn that the aim of life is to attain union with the divine. The
wetic believed this possible inaemch as he was convinced that man him-
eelf was a manifestation of the divine being.2 Hence, the individual
nae capable of attaining this union with God through the godlike qual-
ity of hie own nature.

Robert Broming, as a nineteenth century mystic, was very such aware
of the divinity of man. He etatee, through the epeaker in "Chrietmae Eve
and meter Day”, that man ie, in form, a lesser God. He iterates the
same thought when he states, or causes Rabbi Ben Ezra to state, that man
ie a God ”though in the gem." We may then eee in his charactere that
thie ”analyeis" of Visa Spurgeon'e, namely, that the aim of life is to
attain union with the divine, wae a belief ehared by the poet Bronzing.

Miss Spurgeon also points to the fact that mysticism is character—-
ieed by unity. ‘hny of the examples which she cites were referred to

at the beginning of this chapter. In addition to these, however, ehe

 

 

125:3.roline F. E. Spirgeon,TT«E/eticiem in English Poetry??T:uarterly
Review, own (1907), 429.
2 August Hopkins Strong also mkee note of thie in his book Great
fgete and Their Theolo , He eaye, "It ie in man that God-T03?
rfgctly reveale himee f. Every man bee in him a divine element”
422 .

 

mentions the unity between God and man referred to in the paragraph
above. She also states that there should be no conflict between science
and religion for they are but different aspects of the same thing.
Browning's conception of humanity she considers still another manifesta-
tion of unity --- a collection of individuals, separate and unalike,
smetimee discordant, but still one whole. To the mystic all these in-
stances are evidence that there is unity under diversity at the outer
of all existence. All things about us are but mnifeetatione of the one
divine life, and, ”although the manifestations are fleeting, the spirit
which informs them is immortal."1

There is another evidence of the wetic'e belief in unity which
should pu'hape be dealt with at more length. That is the unity between
knowledge and illumination. The essence of this thought is , briefly,
that intuition my be relied upon in preference to a process of thinking
based upon experience. It assumes that we know not through our minds or
through reason but through our souls. This prticular aspect of mysti-
cism, known as transcendentaliem, was the distinguishing mark of the
mystic. That it played a considerable role in Browning's thinking we
shall see later by examining his characters. It might be added paren-
theticslly that those characters who exhibit transcendental qualities
seem very near Elise Spurgeon'e "analysis”. Browning has exalted them to
such an extent that their aim in life, attaining union with the divine,
seem nearly accmpliehed. In some instances, such as in the cases of

Ponnilia, Caponssccbi, and the Pope in "The Ring and the Book,” Bro-nil:

 

“1‘01an F. E. Spurgoon, °pg Oitg. p. 42;.

-4-

has, perhaps unconsciously, transfigxzred three earthly characters.
In their case, knowledge has become illumination, if not revelation.

By keeping in mind the fact that unity characterizes mysticism,
one may proceed logically to the nineteenth century belief in progress.
For instance, if we start with the hypothesis that the aim of life is
to attain unity with the ivine, then are may conclude that life is a
continual advance, a ceaseless aspiration. Reality (the ideal) or
truth is a vista constantly expanding and being opened to those who
Will seek it.

Just how much an individual may progress is contingent upon vari-
ous factors. One of those factors is mentioned by Frances Russell and
John Chapman. Frances Theresa Russell says that to the mystic misery
is a blessing in dismiss} John Chapman also mentions the identity of
spiritual suffering with spiritual growth in Browning's thinking} The
point they are trying to make is that, instead of shrinking from pain
and evil, the mystic will welcome them, for it is only by overcoming
such things that his soul may take one step forward. Other factors
wish the mystic will remanber are that the higher is never degraded
by having worked up through the lower and that the consciousness of our
resent failures should spur us to unending progress. All of these tact-
ore are united to the soul's growth.

Finally, mysticism is imbued with idealism, a deep sense of the
mystery of life, of symbolism, and of that which is beyond human under-

standing. The mystic ccnsid are the ideal as the only real. He considers

 

 

! i‘rances Theresa Trussell, Qne Wore ’7?ng on fireman , 105. w.
2 John Jay Chapman, finerson and Other Essays, 185-2 3.

 

 

nothing; trivial or unimportant and believes that eac‘x man's god resem-
ties that man's own personality.1 This, then --- together with a be—
lief in the value of limitation, doubt, free will, love, transcenden-
talisn, and unity .a... is mysticism.

A number of characters, speaking in the voice of “rowing, reflect
he poet's attitude toward nineteenth century religion. Through his
characters he shave his distaste for the bigotry 0:? the Dissenters, the
pageantry of the Catholics, and the coldness of the deists. George H.
C. Branden, referring to Roman Catholicism, states that Browning had no

use for “faith petrified into dogma.“

Such a personality as the Pope
in "The Ring and the Book” shows that it was not the Catholics as per-
sons that he disliked but rather their elaborately formal ritual. '
Hugh Walker points out that in "ultra-Protestantism" as well, Browning
finds much to question and reject} However, both Catholicism and.
”ultra-Protestantism" have love and Browning, always disposed to give
the heart a higher place than the head, placed first, the church of the
Dissenters (because of their lack of ritual plus their recognition of
love); secondly, Catholicism because of their recognition of Christ's
love; and lastly rationalism which he liked not at all. ”Christmas We
and Easter Day" is the poem which most clearly states this as Browning's
attitude toward various aspects of nineteenth century religion.

In addition to the poet's position regarding the sects of the nine-

teenth century, there were at least two trends in religion on which

w

r"'li‘aro ne .. . firgeon, 32. cit... 427-35.
2 George H. C. Brandes, Naturalism in mgland, Vol. IV of Thin Currents
in Yinctoenth Century Literature, ; ' __

3 high T'hlker, 1.3;.mtur. of‘ thifictorian m, 421. _

 

 

 

-6-

Browning took a defini to stand. One was the rising tide of spiritualism.
The other was a religious skepticism caused by the increased popularity
of science. Sludge in ""r. Sludge, the medium” shows '-'€rowning's dislike
of spiritualism. Caliban in "Caliban upon Setobos” is his answer to

the other rising nineteenth century trend. Browning's implication in
this latter instance is that those who try to deduce an idea of God

from their reasoning; will obtain a God very similar to their own person-
ality. They will have missed something which is higher, more mysterious
and which cannot be comprehended through the senses. These three poems,
”Christmas Eve and blister my," ""r. Sludge, the Medium,” and ”Caliban
upon Setebos“ reveal Browning's attitude toward nineteenth century relig-
ion as opposed to rationalism, ritualism, spiritualism, and the scientific
attitude. He was, in short, a nineteenth century mystic.

In his preference for the church of the Dissenters, Browning was in-
fluenced by two persons ... his mother first and later his wife. During
his early manhood (around the age of twenty) Browning drifted away from
the influence of his mother and the non-Conform st Church of his child-
hood. Some ten years later the influence of his wife, who was also a
Dissenter, brought him back to his original position. Til-owning, like
his wife, Elisabeth Barrett Browning, undoubtedly found a good deal to
bear in the Dissenter's chapel, but still it was in that particular creed
that his "sympathies were least ruffled and disturbed.”

All these aspects of his religion --- progress of the soul, love,
imwortality, free will, doubt --- taken together reveal Tirowning's relig-
ious point of view. They define that point of view as wstical, trans-

cendental, anti-rationalistic, all of which is an implicit criticism of

_7-

the prevailing drift of the ninotoenth century toward the scientific
method uni toward a canpromiso of religion in.which various beliefs

not susceptible of a rational explanation are quietly discarded.

Chaphu' II

THE 301“. AND ITS PROGRESS

Tho ho fundomontol holiofo of Bronzing oro. tint, that tho moot in-
mm: author in tho world io tho ooul of mu, ond oooond, that o oonoo
of otfofi io ooinoidont with tho ooul'o dovoiopmont. In "Sordollo' ho do-
oloroo that “littlo oloo (than tho inoidmto in tho dovoloxnont of o coal.)
io wish readying.” Browning. u o ninohoonth oonmry myotio, hold prog-
rooo oo hio doninont thought.

3.1.! irohiboldo clarko opooko of tho mystic Brouing'o thoory of tho
ooul'o dorolopnont oo 'orolutionory progrooofil Progrooo. oho ooyo. io
opiri’ouol ovolution. In oonoidoring tho influonoo which tho orolutionu'y
oopoot of ninotoonth oommry thought had upon firming. oho ooyo.

lroiution noon- for him tho progrooo toward tho infinito. Ind io

full of hauty and prmioo. Tho toiluroo in nomro ond lifo ooo

turnioh to Brming‘o mind o woof of tho uiotoooo of tho oboo-

Into or o. oomahoro boyond whoro thingo will ho right“.

Evolution horo hu no dogroding ouggootion hooouoo, oo Clorko pointo out,
tho want io any. upward. Thu. in Browning” thinking, evolution
mo. on tho oholo. program, one! progrooo io tho low of lifo.

soiontifio evolution no o. oubjoct moh tolkod obout in tho 1860'o.
It no of oouroo inpoooiblo that Browning no not eagnioont of tho ooiu-
’[tii'io ottitudo of tho timo. Mioo Clorko. homer. io of tho opinion thoh
Booming ooquirod hio idooo on thio topio not oo moh from tho ninohoonth
oontury ooiontioto. ouoh oo Darwin, Lyon. ond Sponoor, to ho did from hio

roodingo in onoion‘b Grook. Sho ooyo thoh when ulnod what hio ottitudo no

o on o o or , toning ond Hio BMW. 3545

 

 

 

 

 

-. did.‘ . 1.1! V i! ..I . . .c v 13‘

-9-

tourd Dos-win. ho ropliod. ”In ronlity oll that ooano proud in Doroin'o
oohomo no o oonooption fomilior to no from tho beginning."1

Browning'o thinking howovor, wont boycnd tho ociontioto for, to him,
ovulation do. not ond with tho ottoinmut of man'o oolt-conooiouonooo.
Aftor thio otngo hos boon roachod thoro continuoo on ovolution which io
diotinctivoly opirituol ~— or no Clnrko collo it, "o tondoncy toward God."
Whoa tho ovolutionory progrooo ronohoo ito highoot point, lovo tokoo oom-
nond. Tho ooul than progrooooo to 'othor livoo in othor worldo.‘ Thno ro-
gordod. imortolity bocomoo tho fiml mtooho of ovolution ond progrooo.

It would bo difficult to ony whoro tho poet'o idoo of progrooo loovoo
off for n11 hio idoao lad to thio ono cud. Hio ccnooption of lovo con-
toino hio thlory of progrooo «- hio notion of immortality nmwnto to prog-
rooo. Hio boliof in froo will. hio oxplonotim of tho prooonoo of nil.
doubt. tomptotion, diffiwlty, tho mluo of “opparont foiluro" ond of limb-
totion oll oontributo to tho growth of tho ooul. Cloon. in tho poon by
thot oono mo. our that rolontlooo progrooo no o low in oll oround hill.

1 too of thooo topioo oro longthy onough to norit diotinot ohopton.
Othu'o. howovor. any woll bo dioouoood horo to chow how oo largo o nunbor
or hio oopornto holioto do hovo oo thoir purpooo growth.

Tho ohorootor Rabbi Bon Bro in tho pooh: by tho om homo ohm how
difficultioo my holp tho ooul to grow. Ho wooto hordohipo and oufforing .
with o high opirit. Ho wolcomoo

oooh roburf

Thot turno oorth'o mothnooo rough.
Each oting; that bido nor oit nor otond but go:
Bo our joyo throo-parto point
Strivo, and hold ohonp tho otroing
Loorn, nor account tho gain; doro.
Hover 51'qu tho throol

113m Archiando—E‘Iorlco, 92.9%.. “2:.

3 Robort Browning. ”Rabbi Eon Ezra," in Congloto Pootio and tron-tic

World. Riroroido od.. (812); All roforonooo to firowifig'o worko oro
to tho toxto in thio odition.

-10..

Tho foot that tho Bobbi did mako a great effort. ovon though obotocloo

kopt his {run attaining hio goal, ohowo what who in him ond io thoroforo

o comfort to him. Bio nttompt to ovoroomo thooo obotooloo hao oloo contri-
butod to tho dovoIOpmont of hio ooul and, with all tho hardohip and failuro
ho hoo not, ho io glad that ho mintoinod hio high idonlo.

Brooning oloo folt that o limitotion might aid tho ooul'o growth. A
dmnb porocn. for inotonoo. io oblo to open}: through tho oyoo oo o. poroor.
with opooch novor conld. ‘A don! poroon will omprooo hio lovo with ootiono
oo othoro novor will. A prion .oppoaro only 1 blonk whito. yot only o prion
oon turn o ounbonm into o. jurol. “So my o glory from dofoot canon":l

A poooogo from.Androo dol Sarto'o‘nonologuo nloo ouggooto tho vnluo
of o limitod tolont no on oid to tho ooul'o growth. Androo tho pointor
ooono to onvy thooo who might ordimrily onvy hio oinoo hio tolmt io oo
ouch groator than thoiro. Ho painto oo onoily whilo they otrivo ond ogon-
ioo ond foil ovor thoir worko of art. Yet Androo onyo.

Thoro burno o truer light of God in thou,

In thoir round booting otuffod Ind otoppod-up brain,

Honrt, or whnto'or oloo, than gooo to prompt

Thio low-pulood forthright orortonon'o hunt! or nino.

Thoir'worko drop groundwnrd, but thomoolvoo. I know;

Hooch many o ttmo o honvon thot'o ohut to no.

miter ond toko their ploco thoro can «laugh.

Androo foolo thot thoir ooulo. by ovorooming or otriving to ovoroomo their
limitoticn, hnvo nndo moro progrooo thon hio.

Tho poot Browning boliovod in froo will for oomoohot tho oomo roooon.
Ho folt that ovil cannat‘bo oboliohod without abrogating tho lowo of lifo.

Browning'o philosophy who to taco lifo -- not turn from it, and God'o

      

 

 

    

.rown ng, D mi, 00. cit., 353. WW
2 Robort arouning, ”Andros dol Sarto,ii 02. cit... 346.

.11..

leaving man’o will free io another test for man. If mn were given only
one choice. namely good, there would be no merit in hio ohoooing tho right
goal. It io only by being allowed a choice and by taking the larder

course that tho soul grows. Biohop Blougram in "Biohop Blougram'o Apology"
opoekn of thie. He oeyo that God gave mun free will to would hio life no
he ohooooo and that he 121th that “mankind ohould otrive and ohow forth.”
A non: io worth oauothing when the fight begino within himolf. When God
and am are tugging at once. a men's ooul evokes and grows.

Prolcug that battle thrcngh thie lifoi 1
Never leave growing till the life to oomoi

In thie connection, he recognizoe tho good oorvico done by evil in tho
world. The bishop, then, considered free will a porter and necoeoary to
tho ooul'o development. Like many of tho biohop'o ronnrko, thio ie, for
bin, a oophiom, for the bishop wao a roprobato; but for Browning thie repro-
oonto the truth.
The opoaker in ”Christmao Eve” opeako briefly concerning God'o plan
of free will. Had an not been allowed to ohoooo between good and will,
he wozld have been a more machine. He would have prayed or praiood auto-
ntioally. He would have boa: created perfect no a matter of couroo. It
happono. however, that nun otondo on hio on 'otock of love and power.“
He can we hio girto of heart and brain either to degrade or to glorify
hiuolt. A machine could never do thie.z
arming'o explanation of the preoonco of evil in the world io olooely
akin to hio belief in free will. This can be deduced from tho rmrh of

 

 

I 53o; §rowning, 'Eiohop Blougram'o lpologyj': op. cit... 355.

2 Robert Browning, ”Chriotmo Eve," op . cit.. 31925.

-12-

both Bishop 31012ng and of the epeaker in "Christiano are” in the para-
graphs above. The pope in "The Ring and tho Book" otatce that evil in
part of man's toot on arth. It teats hie power to-etmggle, strive. and
overcome difficultiee in preference to an easier choice. He concludeo
that that in the purpoeo of all the "blessed evil” in the world.

For are these the only difficultieo one mot overcome in the centim-
aticn of the ooul'o life. Having a firm purpce'e. following the dictateo
of ono'e consoimce, doing what is right even though externally it my
eoem wrong will alec contribute to the growth of the coal. The charac-
ter! in "Die Aliter View,” ”The Statue and the met," and "Bifurcation”
are Broming'o mouth-piece earning non against dilatorineoo and againot
a life of otagnatian. All of the peromalitieo in these pom met diffi-
cultloo which, had they accepted the challenge, would have aided their
eoulo' development. The did not, however, accept the challenge.

The title. of "Die Aliter Victim" came from Virgil'a ”Aeneid" (II.
428) and name "To the godo it oeemod otherwieo.“ A~mn of age and on:-
porionco hao found himself attracted to a younger women. Hot knowing
‘ehother the marriage umuld bola euccoeo, he did nothing. They drifted
apart, each married earneono elae, and neither one completely happy.
Browning’o implication io that they have oinned by not following the die-
tate. of their hearto. It would have been better to form the union and
nor]:- to make a oucoeoe of the narriage rather than luily drift apatite
The very difference between their ageo and emperiuice would have been a
challngo to each which would have given vitality to their liroo and to
their oath. do it ie, they have failed by not giving their call. thie

necessary opportunity to progress. The explanation of. the title is ob-
vious. From outward appearances, or from an observer‘s point of VieW,
in marrying someone else, the lovers have done the only practical thing,
but actually, or as Browning puts it, ”to the gods,” it was otherwise.
They should have followed the commode of the inner conscience.

”The Status and the Bust” will serve as a second illustration to
point out for Browning that everything that disturbs the balance of life
gives vitality to the soul. In this poem. the characters' sin is their
dilatorinoss. That the woman is already married is the difficulty in this
case. As a bride, she looks down from a window, sees wThe Croat-Duke
Ferdinand," and falls in love with him. The mice returns her love. hch
knows that, in spite of the fact that she is married, they should be to-
gether. mch, however, finds a reason for postponing the flight. Her
first excuse was that she-must suit a few days for her father's sake.

She consoles herself with the thought that one day more can mtter very
little and that they will see each other tomcrroe. The Duke has similar
thoughts. He lets each day slip by until love no longer‘is as it was be-
fere. They are growing older. Their physical appearance changes until
each becomes so altered that she, at length, has a bust made duplicating
her former youthful and beautiful face and the Duke has a statue made of
himself as he looked, at the time he met the lady. She places the bust..-
in her window over-looking the square where the duke rides. He places
his statue in the square facing the bust. '

Browning‘s object m to point out the deadening effect of not ever-
cming obstacles. If the lady and the duke felt that they could be happy

-14-

together, it was a sin for them to stay apart. Browning was not, however.
advocating adultery. This particular act was merely to serve as an ill-
ustration and any other act would have served as well. The fact that

this act would have been a sin had it been carried out does not alter

the truth of the principle. Browning's point is «- tho couple sinned

by doing nothing. Browning’s frame of mind is very clearly described by
Vernon C. Forrington. He states that one of Browning's characteristics

is his impatience with those who shrink fras difficulty. He has nothing

but

”contempt for indecision, irrosolution, half-hearted endeavor,
and fear see

Everywhere what he wants is no dallying, but decision,
action. This has led some purblind critics to imagine that
Browning approved of sin, Just as some critics have supposed
that Jesus approved of dishonesty because he 'cmended the un-
just stenrd" in the parable: it was only the steward's long-
headedness and shrewdness which Jesus commended, not the acts
by which he showed it. So Browning distinguishes the quality
of soul shown in certain acts from the moral quality of those
acts themselves. The nest familiar stumbling-stone is “The
statue and the Bust," in which a man and wman plan an slope-
meet, an adulterous affair, and cherish the plan for years,
but never have the courage to carry it out. And Browning con-
demns them for their failure. It is not that he approves
their sinful scheme, but he feels that it was a thing: to test
their mettle Just as such as a better thing would. He has
stated this so plainly at the aid that I snrvel that anyone
could miss its

I hear you reproach, 'But delay was best

For the end was a orimo."-Oh a crime will do
As well, I reply, to serve for a test,

As a virtue golden through and through.'

Let a nan contend to the uttornost 1
For his life-s set prise, be it what it willi'

 

 

Woman 0. Harrington. Browning Studies, 38-40.

-15..

This uncompromising view of life runs through all Browning's works.
ihn is put to the test. ' When he fails to accept that test, his soul
shrivels «- sc it was with these lovers.

_"Bifurcaticn,“ meaning “divided two nys,"lis a contrast in charac-
ters. The noun, who followed the same course as the lovers in the ”Stems
and the Bust" and in ”Dis Aliter Visun" would probably be condoned by out-
siders. The man followed the dictates of his heart. He in the speaker
of the poem. His and his lover‘s paths had diverged. The ma, believ-
ing that in leaving him she was doing what we noble, sens confident of
her ultimate resard in heaven. she expects him to nit for her Just as
she left him but, Browning says,

”an needs met more.
Keep moving-o”

The man, knowing that in heaven duty and love are one and cannot be separ-
ated, says, in effect, f'Write on her grave, 'My reason bade ne prefer
duty to lon'.‘ He would have written on his,

I loved her: love's tract lay

O'er sand and pebble, as all travellers know.

01” 1.4 through I smiling W17. eee

Inscribe each touch this: than, ease sage acquainta
The simple-«which holds sinsr, which holds saintla

It is obvious that Browning himself considers the ma the sinner, the
man the saint.

Although Browning felt that no experience diatsosver is wasted, be
particularly welcmed those involving some sort of difficulty such as

 

Flillisms Clyde Mane. A are-um Handbook, :59. ,
Robert Brewing, ”Dis Aliter Vienn,‘l o . cit" p. 813.
3 Ibid, p. 912. L—

-16 ‘_

those mentioned above—meme sort of impediment, either visible or in-
visible, which led to spiritual conflict and growth. Many of his charac-
ters are a warning. Browning seems to say, "Queen‘s these persons and
beware!”

However, not all of Browning's characters who show his insistence
on firnity of purpose, following the dictates of the conscience, and doing
what is right, whether it seem so from outward appearances, fall on the
negative side. The grasmarian in ”A Grammrian's Funeral” is a person of
was Browning approved. He spent his life probing books, learning,
reading, mastering a subject. His head became bled, his eyes lead. And
what did he produce? He gave us the doctrine of the enclitic ode--
'dead-«conpletely dead.” To others his life was a couplets nets.
Browning sees in the man courage, determination, and purpose. The gran-
narian has not let others my him. He has set his goal and steered to-
ward it. The poet says,

That low man seeks a little thing to do,
Sees it and does it:
This high man, with a great thing to pursue,
Dies ere he knows it.
That low man goes on adding one to one,
His hundred’s soon hit:
This high man, aiming at a million,
Kisses an unit.
That, has the world heron-should he need the next,
Let the world mind hill

This, throws himself on God,

and unperplaxed
Seeking shall find hill.1

Browning suspects that such a person is far loftier than the world imagines.
The grammrian contained an ambitim uhich will not let him rest. He felt

 

I:Robert arming, ”A Grammrian's Funeral,“ 280.

that he met strive continually. hhether the ambition was a worthy one
does not concern Browning.-~lt is the continual striving which he ad-
nires.

The granmarian and the Rabbi are characters who resemble Browning
himself. It is said that he faced life with determination and lack of
fear. He seems to indicate that in his Epilogue (to 'Asolsndo'). He
wonders what people will think of him than he is dead, whother they will
mistake him, as is usually the case. Rather than being thought of as
dead, he prefers to be thought of as alive, struggling and progressing.
Harrington says that in life he was none of "the slothful, the nawkish,
the unnanly'mhe was not among “the aimless, helpless, hopeless.” He Is

One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,

Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
field we fall to flex, are baffled to fight better,

Sleep to wake.

These are a number of Browning's ideas which lead to his theory of
progress. In all of thus, there is a sense of effort. The number of
characters selected in each instance is suggestive rather than chans-
tive for any more could be cited to illustrate progress of the soul.
“Christina" and ”Evelyn Hope,” for instance, point to the distinctness
and continuity of the soul's life.‘ In "Death in the Desert" John says,
"Inn is made for progress and received therefore, step by step, such
spiritual assistance as is proportionate to his strength."2 John answers
posterity's doubts concerning Christianity by saying that man could not

progress if his doubts were at once changed to certainties. In ”Clean"

1 Vernon C. Harrington, c . cit. p. 113.
Mrs. Sutherland Orr, A EandEook to the Words of Robert Browning, Ill.

-18-

Browning states that in passing from simple to cunpleoc, man has obeyed
the law. of progress. In all of the characters in these poems, one may
see their creator's belief that man's soul should expand-“that one must
continually look fcmrd. Taken together they also contain the thought
that man's success or failure met not be Judged from outward appearances
of his accanplishments but from that which he has aspired to do, or as
Rabbi Ben Era says,

What I aspired to be,
And was not, comforts as:
.0.
But all the world's coarse thumb
And finger failed to plumb,
So passed in making up the main account;
All instincts immature,
All purposes unsure,
That weighed not as his work, yet swelled the suan‘s
account:

Thoughts hardly to be packed

Into a narrow act,

Fancies that broke thrcugh language and escaped;

All I could never be,

All, men ignored in as.

This, 1 ms Iorth to God, whose wheel the pitcher

shaped.
i‘c strive, then, is the main factor in the soul's growth. All these
other factors, doubt, evil, temptation, free will, limitations, are put
here as tests or difficulties and are “just the stuff to try men's souls.a
Appaer failures, then, are not actual failures if the subject has

made an earnest effort for this effort will have resulted in adding
strength to his spirit. He will have become a better man because of the

attcapt. Marv critics have referred to this particular dogs: of Browning’s

I Robert. Browning, “Rabbi Ben Esra,” o . oit.. 585.

as ”success in failure" which is perhaps a more accurate designation.
This use the case with the grammrian. By the standards of society his
life was a failure but, because he had made a great effort, his life as
in reality a success.

This mystical concept of progress also advocated small beginnings.
That way there is room left for growth. In the poem ”Rephan" the speaker
feels that perfection is stagnation. Rephan is the planet frm which he
came. Unlike firth, that planet contained only perfection where there
we no opportunity for improvemmt. There has no want, no unhappiness,
no deficiency, no success, no hope, no fear. The speaker did not care for
the sameness of a place where today was exactly like tancrrow, where
there was no change--no growth. He yearned for mrth with its differuoeI
--where hate night teach love, where one night wring knowledge frus ignor-
ance, and where one might strive. Browning, or rather this inhabitant of
Rephan, says,

firth's rose is a bud that's checked or grows
As beams my encourage or blasts oppose.

There, one may

Not reach an. aspire yet never attain
To the object aimed at;

The poem shone Browning's sympathy with the character on whom all the per-
fecticn of the planet Rephan grows stale. Perfection leaves nothing to
accomplish.

In 7‘10" of all this striving man should set his goals high, It is
better to have a high ails strived for yet unaccomplished than an air: with-

in our possibilities. Andrea del Sarto in his monologue says,

 

1 Robert Browning, 'Rephan,” op! cit., 1004.

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
0r what's a heaven for?

and these two lines of Browning's imply everything stated in this chapter.

Chapter III

ammonium CF 3301621513015 cm SOUL

It has been said by Frances 1'. Russell that Browning's writings are
a fugue on each of a few favorite themes, namely emphasis on the individ-
ual's developmut, the value of difficulty and of refusal to accept
“apparent failure,” the value of high aims rather than low achievussnts,
the value of love,1 and all the things that have already been stressed
in this paper. The characters of Broming's peeps, taken as a whole,
em to attest to the accuracy of Kiss Russell's statement.

In spite of this, however, by observing Broming's stress at a par-
ticular period of his life on each of these ”favorite theses,” and by
noting the chronology of his poems, we may ascertain the progress of his
evil. In his early poems, ”Pauline,"Paraoelsus,' and "Sordello‘ there
is little Christianity. His later poems, ”Christmas Eve and meter my,“
"Saul,“ the Pope in ”The Ring and the Book” express a deep sense of
Christianity. They are reminiscent of the following words which he wrote
to Hrs. Sutherland Orr.

Evidence of Divine Power is everywhere aboxt us; not so the

evidence of Divine Love. That love could only reveal itself

to the humn heart by sons supreme act of human tenderness

and devotion; the fact, or fancy, of Chris ‘s cross and pea--

sion could alone supply such a revelation.

These are the sentiments revealed by the characters who were drawn during

his nature yurs rather than during his earlier period of skepticism.

 

2i Frances ‘1'. Russell, 0n, More Word on Browning, ll.
Mrs. Sutherland Orr, “The Religious Opinions of Robert Browning,"
ggtemporaq Review, 1.1, 879.

A constant striving is one tenet, and I might add the only tenet,
which Browning maintained through all his life. It appears at the time
he first began writing and it appears again in his last poem, the Epi-
logue (to ”Asolando"), shich he wrote a short time‘before he died.

At about the time Broming became twenty years of age he experienced
a period of religious doubt. After reading Shelley's poems, this was inp
creased to the point of his becoming almost an atheist.

"Pauline,“ his first poem, written at this particular time reveals
this state of mind. DeVane says,

The real matter of 'Pauline' is Browning's struggle eith his

religious skepticism between the years of 1826 and 1832. In

the latter year he thought himself well cured. Before 1826 he

seems to havetaccepted entirely, with only an occasional un-

ruliness, the Non-Confcrmiot principles of his devalt and

piano nother...But in 1826 his growing m nd and his wide read-

ing brasght him to challenge that faith.

Brushing, later ashamed of this poem, considered it childish and inma-

ture. The character in the poem who reveals thio skeptical attitude of
the young Browning's is writing to his love, Pauline, telling her of his
victory over his doubts and religious skepticiemm He tells her that he
has progressed.beyond these to faith, hope, and love. John stuart Hill,

however, detected a bit of falseness in this Sartcr Resartus. He felt

 

that Browning had not recovered from his religious skepticism. The poea
is thoroughly autobiographical, and as De'Iane says, in spite of the poet' s
later declarations to the contrary, Browning is the speaker, hardly dis-

guised at all.

 

1 William Clyde DeVane, A Browning Handbags, 41.

 

Paracolsus, the character of 3rowning's second pocn, is very similar
to Browning himself. he carried out Browning's philosophy of always do-
ing oue's utmost. He has Browning's own invincible courage in that he
never gives up. Like his creator, he has no four. In short, the uncon-
querahle soul of Paracelsus is the unconquerable soul of hobert Browning,
and that is the kind of soul Browning's religion advocated.

The titles which Browning has given to each of the five scenes in
"Paracelsus" are rerelatory of his philosophy and religion. They are:

Scene I. Paracelsus Aspires
Scene II. Paracelsus Attains
Scene III. Paracelsus
Scene IV. Paracelsus Aspirss
Scene V. Paracelsus Attaina
The aspiring and attaining in this case is after knowledge.

In Scene V, however, of this particular poem, the title character

disclaims striving after absolute knowledge and asserts another of Brown»

ing's "favorite themes ,”

namely, the value of limitation in every energy
of this existence. To know had been Paracelsus' one purpose. In spite
of his vast accumulation of informtion he is entirely unsatisfied.
There is another character in the poem, Aprils. a poet, who has set love
as the goal of his ambition. Aprils too is dissatisfied. Thus, through
these two characters, Browning has indicated that there is value in limi-
tatioo.

From outward appearances, Paracelsus might well consider himself
successful. He has maintained the position of professor and is consid-
ered learned. This was his object, yet he scorns his popularity and

finds no comfort in his learning. It is not until scene four when his

-3 4..

life is coming to an end that he sees that he has erred in not realising
that knowledge alone is insufficient to happiness. 0n the other hand,
love, which was Aprile's aim, would not have produced a happy life either.

He learns at last that a successful life requires a combination of
the two. If Paraoelsus had‘beon content with a limited supply of know»
ledge, he would have discovered the joys of love before it was too late
to be happy. Likewise, if Aprils had not been completely absorbed in the
pursuit of love, he might have gained some knowledge and satisfaction.

‘We might well any that this, Browning's second poem, contains at
least three aspects of his religious philosophy-—-first, aspiration and
attainment which of course anounts to his dominant thought, progress--
second, the value of limitation as set forth in Paracelsus' unhappy life,
which also leads to progress-wand third, unity, in this case between
knowledge and love and necessary to a good life. This particular poem is
characteristic of Browning in that he is not content with letting one
character illustrate one point. Each character nmst illustrate as many
points as possible for the post.

In considering Sordello, the personality of Brming's fourth pots,
we again note the continual striving. Like Paracelsus and like Browning,
as soon as one goal has been achieved, he begins working on another. Sor-
dello was not always successful but the point is--he tried. In this way
”Bordello” stands as Browning's central poen in the study of the "incie
dents in the development of a soul.”

In ”Sordello” browning wished to illustrate the development and
growth of the true type of poet who ”sees profound disclosures in the

most ordinary type of face."1 Browning felt that some posts are contmt

 

I—Edward Berdoe. The Browning Cyclopaedia,

to simply tell of impressions rhi! 3 others present the deeper signi fi-
cance of things which would never be seen without the poet's aid. It
was this latter type whose soul 'Browning wished to emphasise.

flordello is made Minstrel in place of figlamor, a rival poet, who is
introduced merely to enhance Sordcllo and to allow firovming the opportun-
ity to contrast accéting a limited goal with boundless aspiration. This
is well brought out in the following quotation from "ficrdello."

In just such songs as Eglamor (say) wrote

With heart and soul and strength, for he believed
himself achieving all to be achieved

By singer—in such songs you find alone
Completeness, judge the song and singer one,
And either purpose answered, his in it

Or its in him while from true works (to wit
Sordello's dream-performances that will

Fever be more than dreamed) escapes there still
Scarce proof, the singer‘s proper life was 'neath
The life his song; exhibits, this a sheath

To that: see

.0.

While Sordello says,
'Es’y life commenced before this work,”
(So I interpret the significance
or the bard's start aside and look aslcance)--
”'13! life continues aft: 3 on I fare
With no more stopping,

Eglamor had a limited goal, or in this case, limited art. His life
was spent in accordance with his limited goal. When Sordello was made
minstrel in his stead, he was unable to face the future and died of spite.
He was a weak character to whom death proposed amends.

Bordello was mlamor's opposite. He is the character who represented

boundless aspiration. He learned first one, then another aspect of the

truth of life. He aspired, achieved, and died.

 

1 Robert Browning, "Sordello,’ in Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works,
Riverside edition, 98. (In addition to showfng an indomitable cour-
age Browning undoubtedly intended the last portion of this quotation
to show his conception of inmortality).

The boy Bordello wanted to be perfect. Apollo became his ideal. Not
content with his own life, he combined into it all the lives of his imagi-
nary heroes. He ambitiously aired his love at Palm. Is studied his com-
panions, learned their true relationship, their nature with his own. This
was his acitivity. Otherwise he spent a dreamy, drowsy, introverted
childhood.

As a young man Sordello was egotistical, selfish, and full of vain
ambition. He haddreamed away his childhord but, as a young man, he sick-
sued for reality and, in spite of his shortcomings, there was within him
a seed of spiritual ambition. '

Sordsllo had not learned that bod;r and soul must work together. His
body, remaining inactive, separated from his active soul, or as Browning
says,

flesh leaves soul free to range,
Rmins itself a blank, cast into shade,
Isicumbers little, if it cannot aid.
30 range, free souli
Although his soul craved joy, his body preferred merely tasting those by
many, thus sparing itself all effort. In other words, Sordello was liv-
ing in a dream-world.

He finds that to create the best song he mzst exclude everything
else and dedicate himself to his work. Not having done this, he has suc-
ceeded a little by the attempt, but has failed more by not attanpting
enough. Sordello's attempts are never fully carried out. mch one, how-

ever, makes his soul grow a little more.

 

I_Rohert Browning, "Sordollo," op. cit., C7.

Having failei to please his patrons by not giving his-1:391? complete-
ly to his work, he makes a second attenpt but is no better satis."ied with
himself. This time his thoughts are too lofty. The peonle cannot under-
stand him. he becomes contempt-ems and thus pleased neither his patrons
nor hi‘melf. liis failure to reach-his ideal destroys the pleasure of
his success. Soon the true Sordello has vanished, the poet thwarting
the sun. his soul sees less and less to strive about. its has wanted to
do something but the question ism—imam Efe had tried giving up pleasure,
abolishing his body, leaving only his soul, but

by and by,
To balance the ethereality, 1
Passions were needed; Foiled he sank again.
Still body and soul are not working; together. In this way, he sinks lower
and lower until at last he leaves his task as minstrel.

Naddo here acts as a foil, again giving Broming an opportunity to
contrast accepting a limited goal with boundlus aspiration. Naddo, of
course, represents the limited goal. He advised Sordello to go along
with the tide, think others' thoughts, speak their speech, abjure the
soul, be content with the body, and remain secure. He believes Sordelle
ought to be content in being a hard. That'shculd be attainment enough
without striving for more.

However, the fact that he does strive means still a little more
growth to his soul. Although Sordsllo has not yet brought actual emper-
ience obtained through work to con-Oct his more reflections and observa-

tions, he has overcome indecision. Re have that he met forge ahead.

 

1 Robert Browning, ”Sordello,” o . cit., 91.

S'ordello at lamrth learned altruism. This part of the poem is thor-
oughly auto-biographical for, while in‘Venioo, Wrownine was moved by the
eight of the oeasente' suffering. :He was touched by their "warped souls
and bodies." He has consequently written his own feelings into his char-
acter Sordello. The more Rordelio pries into this profilem o” the people’-
evtrene poverty the loss satisfied he is with Himself. Wantinz to rectify
t‘. “.6 matter, he resolves to re-‘mild Rome-«Ma. Rom which will mean the
rights of mnkirzd. Rut he soon fimie that e2 mm can do hut e. man's por-
tion or, to quote Browning,

Sordello, wake!
God has conceded two eighte t0>e menu—-
One, of men’e whole work, time's completed pflen,
The other, of the minute'e'work,‘men’e firet
Steo to the plan's completeness: what's diepereed
Save hope of that supreme etep'whioh, desoried
Earliest, was meant etill to remain untried
0111! to give you heart to take your own
Step, end there stay-o-leavinr the rest alone?
Where is the vanity? Why count as one ‘
The first etep,'with the last etep? What is gone
Except Rome'e eery magnificence,
That last etep you'd take firet?-en eVidenoe
You were God: be men newt Let those glenoee tell:
The beeie, the beginning Itep of all,
Which provee you just e man-1

Sordello'e mistake was that he wanted to accomblieh too much et once.
flankind cannot be exalted immediately. The*eork of egee cennot be done
in e day. He'knowe that the New Rome is one thing more which he can imag-
ine‘but cannot make come true. The work at hand in the firet etep to the
whole work of mu. Sordello. therefore, nuet not attempt the hot etep
firet. 'fie must rather take the first step and'be e man if he cannot‘be

I god.

 

I_Robert Browning, ';ordello,' on. cit., 111.

-29-

Broming felt that ell thinge met here juet ouch emll beginning.
ee thie for ell «not be eolved et once. Firet met come the founde-
tione. then thinge met progreee etep by etep, until, et leet, the dwine
influence of religion eupe‘eedee ell previoue etepe. Thie ie the bet
end higheet etep. Thie ie the pattern Bordello ehould here followed when
eetting ebout to do hie good work of re—building Rune.

Thue, Sordello leerned one bit of the mtio'e belief in unity e.-
mly, thet to will end to do met be combined. Browning eeye thet he
bee found e body for hie eoul. In othc' worde. he he leerned thet it ie
neoeeeery to put em eet-ion behind hie thinking. He'hee lmed thet
neither etrength nor knowledge ie clone euffioient. Knowing how to do e
thing will never eeooeplieh ite being done unleee the neeeenry phyeioel
effort ie put forth. Likewiee. phyeicel etrength ie ueeleee without en
eoeonpenying knowledge of how to rebuild Home. Bordello hed feiled in not
being eble to completely reeliee hie god of rebuilding Renee, he bee. how--
ever, ednnoed one etep more in thet he he geined an. new reelieetioe
of mtioel unity-whet ell thinge met work together-

DeVene bee need three etegee in the development of Sordello‘e eeul.
The tiret ie the young poet to em Eglmr end Redde ere foile. The
«need ie the lover end werrior for when Pelee ie muted. The third ie
the politioel thinker whoee ideelietio neture ie eontreeted with Selin-
guerre, e an of entice who doee ell Sordello ehaald here done.

‘ The endleee eonbete between the Guelfe end the Ghibellin- (repre-
eented by the Eooelini teeny end their greet werrior. Selinguu-re) eon-
etitute the beokground of the poem Ae Bordello review both Duel! end
Ghibellinee in hie mind, wondering which of the two powere will bring the

~80-

noet good, he finde he can epprove of neither. Although he he done noth-
ing during hie thirty yeere. he feele that both eidee have done woree
then nothing. The plot turne upon the diecloeure of Sordello‘e identity
ee Selinguerre'e eon. Ae Selinguerre'e eon end e Ghibelline. he in el-
lied by blood to the Ghibelline come. He feele. however, thet the Guelf
oeuee ie the own of the people.

the tenptetion ie obvioue. Ae Selinguerre‘l eon, he could beoone
chief of the Ghihellinee, the greeteet men of hie tine, end euooeeeor to
the rule of northern Itely. Browning eeye he “my, even from the depth.
of feilure yet opting to the eumnit of euoo-e, if he coneent to oppreee
the world."1 He night here Pelne ee hie Ghibelline bride. He eeke hin-
eel! why he ehculd give up ell the joy of life for the mltitudee. The
conflict within hie eoul ie eo great he diee under the etrein but not be—
fore ohooeing the eide of the people end trenpling Selingum'e hedge
under hie foot. Thue, ‘Berdoe concludee, ”In eeudng defeet he eohieved
hie eoul'e euooeee.”

It ie evident that thie poem -- undwbtedly’ more then eny other
arming poem .... my be lebelled PROGRE-IS OF THE SOUL. All the incidente
in Sordello‘e life were intmded to leed to hie eoul’e development. All
the difficultiee in hie life. ell the tenptetione, hie high eine even
though unetteineble contributed to the growth of hie eoul.

Bordello ie eleo e portreyel of Broming'e lore of wk. Sordello' e
feilure et the beginning of the pose wee due to hie ineotivity. ‘l‘hie in-
eietenoe upon work. Browning ehared with enother greet Viotorien. Tho-Io

Cerlyle.

 

fRobert Bro-ling, ”Sordelle.” . cit.) 118-9.
3 me Berdoe. The Browning o opeedie, 296.

-31-

Conparing Sordello with later cherectere ieen excellent news of
obeerring the development of Browning'e own eoul. There ie, for instence.
no nation by Sordello of the power end wonder-e of love. e tenet which
wee very dur to the leter Browning. Neither ie there eny mention of in-
nortelity except ee one etep of progreee.

Let ue compare Sordello with David in "30.121." Both pereone ere. of
couree, Browning. i‘hue it ie thet mrid. like Sordello, eepiree to much
thet he eennot eocornplieh but ie comforted by the thought that

"-— it ie not what men Doee ich exelte
him. but whet Inn Would dol“

In both inetenoee Browning; ie expreeeing the belief that the effort. whet-
her euoceeei‘ul or not. will help men'e email to grow. Thie then ie the
point of einilerity. .

The point of dieeimilerity liee in the feet thet mvid in e leach
leter Browning then Sordello ie. Thue it ie egein thet their ettitudee
tonrd love end inmortelity ere in etriking oontreet. To Sordelle. in-
nortelity eppeered merely ee progreee duet ee it did to the Joe. Rebbi
Ben are. It ‘1. devoid of Chrietienity end 1am arming ma not yet
reeched the firm belief in the eeving power of Chriet'e love which he et-
teined leter end which Devid (e leter Browning) held. lo livid the next
life wee ecoredited to Chriet'e greet love for men. ‘fo' the epeekd' in
”Meter my" thie ie eleo true.“ he ettributee imortelity to the feet

thet ”Chriet'e love in infinite.“ Sordello hee no notion of thie.

The entire poem eeu lecking in en etmoephere or Chrietienity.

 

; Robert Browning, ”Seul,‘ o . cit., lad.
iheee two eepeote of Bromgng'e religion. love end imortelity, will
be deelt with et length in eubeequmt oheptere.

-32 .-

i‘ho epeaker in "Christmas Eve," the companion poem to “motor Day,”
eleo ehowe the development of Browning'e religioue ettitudee. It ehowe
him. after hie youthful period of religioue ekepticiem, returning to the
attitudee which were eheped ee e young boy in his non-Confomiet home.

In spite of the ebundence of feith expreeeed in ”Seal," "Chrietnee
Eve end meter Day" end other pom written during Broming'e middle end
old ego, he eleo experienced come periods of doubt. ”Le Seieiee.‘ written
because of the death of e friend of Browning'e. eeome to be hie most com--
plete expreeoion within one poem of both feith end doubt. In the pan
Browning ooneidered‘ the place where hie friend'e eoul night ebide now
thet her body ley buried in Cologne. Although thie poem. like eo new
othere. my be conei dered enother ”fugue" on eeverel vericue thence. it
eeye, noet of ell. thet efter the body diee. the eoul livee egein. thet
God uiete end the eoul exiete. end leet of ell. thet there oennot be feith
without eone doubt.

DeVene eeye that ”Le Seieiee' no Broming'e contribution to e eeriee
of ertiela celled Am Smpoeignponlhgmggg 539.529.1313 end
thet hie ergunente. m. n... of nut of the contribute" ekirted ermnd
the queetion of the euthority of the Chrietien rereletifn. However. el-
thaigh he rote eccording to the mlee of the twin. hie ergunmte
were thoee he bed been .prepering eince "Chrietnee-Rve end heter my."
end hie poeition ie emewhet enticipeted by hie opinione in ”Sail,"
“Kerehieh," end era: more by the neJor poem of “Drexnetm Perecnee.'
DeVene’e deeoription ie eo oonoiee ee to be worth quoting et length. He

“1‘ e

~33-

”Le Seisiec" hee boon cold to be ”instinct with Christian fooling,”
yet withoat dogm. The poet'e fundementel poeition me one of be-
lief in the fixture life, end he etill endorsed Dante’s worde which
he hed written in hie wife'e i'eetenent efter her deeth in 18610
"Thue I believe, thue I effirm, thus I on certain it ie, that from
thie life I ehell peee to enother better, there. where thet ledy
livee of whom my ecul me enemoured.” But pertly because the con-
ditione of the S poeimn forbede Browning to drew comfort end feith
frw hie strongest belief in the Christian revelation, end partly
beoeuee he wee profoundly ehocked by the euddenneee of hie friflflz»
death, Browning gave voice in "Le Seieieo” to come of the most
peeeinietio of hie utterenoee. He ie inclined to day thet thie
life. without e future life to correct ite nietekoe end cufferinge.
either for the flu of men or for the individuel men, ie worth the
pain. He eeye for himeelf,

"I met eey -- or choice in eilence -- "Hoeeoever come my fate,
Sorrow did end Joy did nowiee. - life well weighed. -
proponderete.”

And in hie ergmnent Browning develope, for tho firet time at length,
the idee cherecteo'ietio of hie leta' thinking, thet our human know-
ledge ie of no uee to no whetever in eolving the riddle of our
doubtful doan. In ehort, we cennot prove emrthing ebout God by m
huun intellecte, eni met reeort to the intuitive knowledge of our
heerte....He invariably concluded thet it wee norelly beet for no
to be left in uncerteinty concerning God end the future life. but

for hie out part be we etrongly reeeeured by hie belief in the
roveletion of Chriet.

"Le Seieiee" ie one of Browning'e min expoeitione on feith end doubt.

The cherecter in Browning'e lest poem Epilogue (to ”Aeolendo" ).
witten Juet before the poet's deeth-illneee, ie the poet hineelf not die-
guieed et ell. In eteting in the poem thet he himelf bee elmye been e
fighter. he feere thet it elmoet eounde like bagging end ee if he ought
to mod it. thn edde. "But it‘e the eimple truth; end ee it'e true.
it ehell etnnd."2 The choreoter in the poem hoe no use for thoee who ere
helpleee. hopeleee. end eimleee. Although the poem eleo nentime love. it
ie doaineted by en etmoephere of progreee. Here egain immortality ie 00--
incident with progrue. Thue it ie that the poem lid.

I

‘ Willien Clyde DeV'ene. A Bromi Handbook. 376-7.

Robert Browning, Epilogue o Aoc n o , op. cit., 1007.

"Strive end thrive“ cry "Speed, -- fight on,
fere over
There ee herei“
The "there“ of oouree refer: to life after death. The lines picture
Browning etill etriving in tho next life no in thie.

These eevon poem eorvo to show the development of Broming'e relig-
ioue ideee. "Pauline,” "Pareoeloue." end ”Sordollo” were written during
hie '20:. “Pauline,“ ee eteted before, reveele the poet ee e religioue
ekeptic. The other two poem are filled with the concept of progreee reth-
er then with e concept of Christianity. The leet poem of hie life, Epic
logue (to 'Aeolondo" ), eleo enpheeieee progreee canning that one thought
to be the threed uniting the cherectere of ell hie pom from beginning
to ad.

”Soul” ha been celled by DeVane e bermeter of Broming'e religioue
development. His reeeon for tanning the pool: in thie ney ie that Browning,
heving begun the poem when he wee thirty-three or thereebout. wee uneble
to finish it for noerly ten years. During thie time he developed hie be-
lief in Chriet ee e power of love end imortelity. The firet nine eeo-
tione of "Seul" einply record the good thinge of eerth for which Seul
should be thenkful. The writing of ”Christine Eve end Lister Day" (1850).
in thie interim of nearly e decede preeeed him to eolve the religicue
queeticne with troibled him. and gave him hie clue to the conclueion of
"Bull.” The leet ten eecticne are therefore en enticipeticn of the lore
of Chrietienity. making the poem ee e whole e nee-ore of Browning'e own

religion development.

1 Robert Browning. kilogue (to ”Aeolendo”), op. cit., 1007.

The David eho eppeere in the leet ten eeotione of "Soul“ in Browning
ermnd the ego of forty. Browning hed reeolved by thie time hie on re-
ligioue problem, hie om douhte end ekeptioiem by the discovery of de-
vine love ee menifeeted in Chriet. "Soul” with ite tee perte, the {int
cheering e lore of worldly goode, the eeoond ehoeing e1 lave of Chriet.
reoorde thie ”diam." David, repreeenting Brewing, there rejected
the materiel goode of fifth as being insuffioimt. The differmoe bet“
the tint end hot eeotiene reocrde the change in Browning“ religime
neint or flee. Fran thie time found he mace to the nyetieel phileeophy
e! progreee in hie poetry the glorificetion or God.

mhpter IV

LOVE

Love rem e eignifioent port of nyetioiem. We eennot over-euphe-
eiee the pert it pleyed in Browning's religion following hie ”dieeovery‘
ehile writing “Chrietue In.” Louie Wenn hee «tinted thet et leeet
eixty fear of hie poem tied. with thie eyetieel euhfiect.1

In considering Browning” conception of love we met keep in mind
thet to e wetie lore ie eherecterieed b7 unity. Browning, like other
entice. found ell love to be the eeme. That ie, he felt no eererenee
between the divine love ihich linke God end no end the eerthly love.
«uplified by m'e love for when. He em to hove ooneidered the di-
vine love u ell-prereiling end‘the earthly love ee e mnii‘eetetion or
divine love.

For thie roam the cherectere in Brouing'e drmtio lore lyrioe
my be included ee reveeling hie religim. While eho'eing mifeetetim
of divineleve, thoee chereetere eleo eho'e e wide nriety of life end
cherecter. Thie ha been ettributed to the feet thet firming eeldee
cpl-need feeling ee deteohed from theught. am or thoee morone meni-
hetetiene include love ee conquering tine. love ee the epeoiel gein of
life. love ee triunphing over cull dieoorde, love in ite ideel uturity,
love in ite ideel or eonstenoy, love ee en umetiefied yeerning. love u
indoeitebie purpeu. love ee the coupleteneee of eelf-eurrender. love ee
the inteneity ef expectent hope, love co the inteneity of e preoeriaue
joy. love ee the tummy of epiritcel epproprietice. love ee eeddaed by

 

ILouie Ween, “Broming'e Theory of Love.” Personaliet. VI. 87.

chenge, end love es the one lasting r-eeliiay'.1 i'hese ere the urine
kinde of love. manifestations of divine love, which Eire. Orr hes listed
in herjendhmb

Of these points mumented by Mrs. Orr there are six which seem moot
eleeely related to Broming'e religion. They ere love ee conquering tine.
no the epeciel gain of life, as the most important poeeeesion, es repair-
in; the hreta hemoniee of life. es the completeness of eelf-eurrender,
es the nonmtum of en indomitable purpose or progress. The othere men-
tioned by lire. Orr. such ee lore es en unsetiefied yeerning. es the inten.
eity of Joy or hope, end love on saddened by change tmd merely to picture
thet emotion in its varioue phases. Although they ere not wholly unimpor-
tent, there ere other characters who speak more directly of Browning's re-
ligion.

In eddition to thoee menifeetetione of divine love there ere char-
ectu'e in other pom who do speak for Browning of Christ’s love. They
show that Christ wee for him e spiritual router-y, not e defimhle or dog-
antic fect end that the need for him ens reel to the poet. Thq shore
thet love, to him, we the one thing worth poeefi'eing,

Browning die‘cerded the eterner upsets of Christian faith «abodied
in the cuetore God of the Old Testament end eooepted ineteed the Chrietien
God of low. In this my, love booeme the eolution to “the mystery of life:
the link between God and mm is Louis Wenn points out,. this emphasie on
divine love is an evidence of the deepest kind of mysticism.2

Concerning the mnifestetione of divine love as found in the love ly-

rics we eee that Browning bee illustreted the wove-mentioned verietiee

:1 Lire. Sutherland Orr, A Handbook t 1» w . 223-4.
Louie mun. op. cit.' 26.

of love by means or a number of characters. In every instance, it is the
spseker whom we must observe for he is Browning's mouth-piece.

In "Evelyn Hope“ the speaker believes that love will conquer time.
Evelyn, e young girl, lies deed. She scarcely knew his name, yet he
loved her. ”hat he believe that because their peths never met, they
were nothing to each other? The enswer is of course no. God will creets
e love to reward his love, end he must wait. There will be many worlds
to traverse, new lives to live, end much knowledge to gain or lose be-
fore he my chin her; The time will et lest cane. however, when she
will wake, end rmenber. end understand. His love will conquer thet tine".

"Christina” shoes how love my becene thespeciol gain of life era
though that love is not fulfilled in this life. Again it is the spseker
who hes discovered this truth. He hes found his soul's mete. The wc-en
involved hes recognised her canpletion in him too. but, rether then ellow
its fulfillinmt, she hes chasm worldly embition end honor. It follows
thet elthough she has lost him, he hes reteined her soul end hes thus
green perfect. Their love has become the speciel gein of his life.

The share examples show why arming has been celled e preachc es
well es e poet. ‘ @ech or the shore poems is didactic}. From 'tvelyn Hopd'
we may infer thet love will develop e petience thet will eneble us to
unit. Even though the interim-my seen tedious, love elcne will smooth
the way end help us conquer that time. ”Christine" shoes how love my ecs-
pletely chenge end elevate cnc's life. Love, therefore, would be the
best-«the one thing worth retaining. The following poem eleo shoes in s

somewhat different way thet love is best.

~39-

In "Love Among; the Ruins" the speaker believes that "love is best.”
In this porti culnr instance he is cmynring it with tho grandeur and
glory of the past. As he views a particular spot that is now posture
land, he thinks of the chariot races held there ages ago. Fore a palace
once stood, a king; once lived. Soldiers were sent out from this place to
conquer the known world. These are gone now and in their place is e girl
mitim; to share her love with him. He reflects on'the passing of royal-
ty, gold, triumphs, and glories -- all material things --- while love
remains the one lasting reality. It is love then that is best.

The closing lines. of "Two Poets of Croisic’| is an illustration of
love repairing the broken harmonies of life. The character in this in-
stance is e cricket symbolizing love. The story follows: As a berd, or
post, eat playing his lyre before e group of conscielly critical Judges,
one of the strings broke. find it not been for e cricket. that note would
never have been heard ogein. As it see, each time the poet needed to
strike e note on the missing string the cioede song it for him, In this
my, the note. sung out of the cricket's love, was more beautiful then it
would here been if the poet had struck it. Life. like the mus 10 of the
lyre, has its low and high notes. When something occurs to snap the her-
many, love fills the vacant place and repairs the broken melody. This
then is another instenoe of what love can do.

Another of the poet's favorite themes-«namely, love as the complete-
ness of self-surrender, eppeors in several Bronzing posts. ”A Women's
Last Word," ”A Serenade at the Ville," “Onel‘iey of Love," and 'Rudel to

the Lady of Tripoli," ell contain this ides. In the first of these. e sen

-4 O-

and his wife have been arguing. She has grown silent, not because she
feels that he is right, but because an argument with him is not worth the
losing of his love. Her lost "word” to him is 0. request to teach her his
we. She will speak his speech, think his thoughts. and. surrendering

her body and mind to be moulded to him, continue in his love.

Love and Progress

 

Although it will not he possible to show all the powers of love as
found in characters in the love lyrhs, still there is one more who fem
a direct connection with er'ming's mvstical teaching; -- progress. That
character is the smoker in ”Love in a Life" and "Life in a Love.” He is
an instance of doing what the heart inform us is right regardless of
whether it seems so from outward appearances, or. in this case. regardless
of whether that one aim appears to be a failure. These two poem show how
love may he the monontmn of an indomitable purpose. The speaker is devot-
ed to one worthy ideal, the wrsuit of his loved one. In the first pom
he is searching the rooms of a house for her. He never finds her. for she
is always just ahead of him. In the next poem he realises that she will
probably never be his. Although most persons in this s' tuation would con-
sider the chase :- failure and turn their energies to smething else. he
continues waiting for her. As soon as an old hope dies «new one springs
up to take its place. So his love has inspired him with an aim and made
him steadfast to it.

The share sampling of Browning's characters illustrates the power
of love. Browning has used here the mystic's method of illustrating s
teaching by means of symbolism. As such, these actors constitute s vital

section of the characters who show us the poet's religion.

41-

Juet an a aanpling of aotore ehared the value and power ofearthly
love. no not a sampling ehov hie dependence upon Chriet'a love. There
are. homer. a few which econ impoeeible to omit. One of them, livid in
'8aul," 'eae mentioned in the previoue chapter. The other: are Laaarue in
“An miatle Ontaining the Strange Medical neporienoe of Karehieh, the
Arab Phyeioim,‘ and the epeakere in 'Chrietnae Eve and Enter my." Le
atated before, David gray be ooneidered the barometer of Broming'e own
epiritual «lenient. In ”An Epiatle" and in "Chrietane Eve and meta?
nay" Browning eote forth two than—«me, that God ie lore. .. the other.
that love of God ie to be valued above earthly goode. All three of then
pone, ae contracted with Broming'e earlier poems, are Chrietian in at-
“photo.

in ”An Epietle Containing the Strange Medical hperienoe of Imhieh,
the Arab Phyeioian" it ie mama. rained Ira the lead, me hae foam
that God ie Lore. The Doc. ll t letter written by tarehieh. the Ioholar-
pbyeioian, to hie teaoher. Abib. In the letter Karehieh heeitatee to tell
Lbib of heme became the story laund- eo unbelievable. It concern- a
lattice). “one of mania eubimbaoed by epilep-y' --- quite easy to diagnoee.
The cure. however. ie inpoeeible to undo-Item. It nae aoompliehed ap-
parently by acne trick or epell for. after Lame had been dead three
aye, he no tutored to life by a harm“ merely uttering the ow.
'Riee.’ The Nazarene has einoe been put to death. mam, however, in-
eiete that the healer uae God him-elf tho "one and dwelt in fleeh while.“

We may eee how profoundly imprueed Karehieh m by thoee word-s

~42-

The very God! think, Abib; dost thou think? 1
So. the All-Great, were the All-Loving too--

In thie last line it ie Browning expressing his own thought through his
mthnpieoe. Karshieh, when he states that the All-Great is the All-Loving
too. A reader of Browning my find repeated in other words in other pom
. the eame idu -- God is love.

A further pointfegarding Karshieh is the conflict betwem material
and epiritual in him. In this respect the poem ie similar to "meter Day.“
After such a dieoueeion Browning invariably oonoludes. either direotly or
myihplioation, that tutorial goods are not suffioimt. that the love of
Christ ie the one thing worth poeeeeeing.

The speaker in “Chasm Eve and meter Day“ also knew the eanotity
of divine levee Here again the speaker is dearly Brewing himeelf. n.
though these pone bring together we of hie religioue ideae than most
other single poem, they are, neverthelue, pervaded by a spirit of 10".
re theee weaken eleo. love is the one thing north poeeeeeing.

firming takes for granted that we cannot have God except through
love. In ”Christmas are" Browning «rises three aepeote of ninetemth cen-
tury Christianity. namely. Dissentien, Catholieiem. and Rationalieno
Browning predated both Catholicism and the religion of the Dieseutere be-
cause they aolmowledged love whereas nationalism did not. Browning be-
lieved that the deietio professor, in recognising only tenor: and intel-
Ieot, bad niseed the point oompletely. for it was love that Chriet hissel!
upheieed. Christ eaid. 1

‘ Believe in me,

Who lived and d136, yet essentially
An Lord Of L1f0e

 

f Robert Browning, “An Epistle," in Cyanglete Footie and Dramatic Works,
Riverside edition, 840.
‘ Robert Browning, "Christmas Eve." o2. cit., 824.

-43--

The rationalistio professor had'no notion of this yet he expected his
audience to know and respect Christ as a person. Browning believee this
impossible in view of the that that God can be reached only through love.

Browning felt that a religion met have more than power and intel-
lect. It met have love and of that there never can be too ouch. He felt
that Christianity net thoee requiremmte, for the Christian God is a God
of love and created an out of that love.

In the final analysis, of these three aspects of nineteenth canary
Christianityo-Disemtism, Catholicism. and Ratiulism-Browning chooses
the first. This is partly indicative of his Non-Confomiet background. .
Although he was probably influenoed. either ooneoiouoly or unconsciously,
by his Non-Confornist mother and wife, there is another reason for his
dlooeing the Dissenting; Chapel in ”Christmas Eve." The doists seemed to
him to have rej eoted what was moat beautiful in the Christian religion
and the Catholics, on the other hand, “stirred up a duet.” in which it
appeared excusable not to see. He found each to tolerate in the Dissent-
ers' Chapel but etill it no there where his 'sznnpathlee were least die-
turbed" by the unwritten prayore, the sacraments administered quietly.
the simplicity, and above all, the lore of Christ.

In "meter Day' Browning through the speaker of that pose again re-
jects the material things of thie earth for the spiritual. DeVane adds
that it is the revelation of. divine love, “such as God showed in sending
his Son to live and die emg men that links 'Mer Day' to 'Christmae

We.”1 In “Easter Day” Browning condoms the men who loves the buutiful

A‘ A.

rmuian a. Done. Larmggandbogg, 184.

~44-

snrld and knowledge but never aspires above then to God's love. They are
shut out of the epiritual world of heaven and met glut their senses upon
this world.

The plot of the poem concerns the epoaker who on Judgment Day is
delegated to live on earth forever. He is at first elated, but soon real-
izing that nature is insufficient for contentment, .he turns to art. He
will live among Greek statues and Italian painting. But neither is that
mough. He cries out. 'Ldnd...the mind is bent." He decides to forget
art and nature for the pursuit of knowledge. He will learn scimce,
philoeoliay, history, msic. But this, like the other goals, turns mt to
be false. He learns that love alone can repair all ills, cure all wrongs,
and sooth grief, In quiet humility he wiehes to let the world go and in-
stead take love. he doee not wish to be bound to this life, but to go on
hoping to some day reach the ”Better land.” Although ”condemned to earth”
would include material wealth, the beauty of nature, art, knowledge,
earth alone would be ineufficimt. There is needed to complete one'e ex-
istence Christ's love and imortality.

The outline of "Saul“ is quite similar to that of ”meter my." Both
begin with a liet of the good things of an earthly existence and end with
the thought that they are to be rejected in favor of a spiritual existence.
David singe of the joy of youth, of labor and its bmefits, of high embi-
tions, of great deeds, of the gifts and powers of human nature, and of Saul
himself. All these are the fullness of a material life.

But, thinking beyond the grave, David yearne to give Raul more than

this present material life. He wants him to have an eternal life - one

equsl to this present life in goodness but everlasting.- He feels that
that he. as man, would desire for his follow-men, God will

surely give. tht. he would suffer for those he loves. sure-

1y God would suffer. Human no re in its power of love would

otherwise outstrip the Divine.

It would not do for the creature to surpass the creetcr. Since these
good things here been given, it alters Devid's mind to give one more gift,
namely, s. new life. In e sudden burst of inspirstion he ashes e bold
prophecy “retelling the coming of Christ. He sees his con flesh in the
Godhead end tells Bsul thst s an sill be born. God mifest in Christ,‘
who will love him forever. Because of that'mn's love there will be life
forever. Thus he hu promised Seul imortslity. ‘

These ere s fee or the curators she spur of Brosning's conception-
of love. In any intense it my be seen how Bruin; illustreted thet
less my help the .011 to grow. 1 Of the points emanated by fire. Orr we
my discern sessrsl which gsve s stesdrsstnsss to the individuel cheru-
ter's life. These sctors were none of the 'einless, helplns. hopeless'
thet Browning so dotssted. One critic hes seid thst in arming lore is
the finest means to m's ultimte nd-othe developed: of ehereotsr end
the production of good “the Thus is no see that Browning considered .
love united to progress. ‘

In the three peels illustrating Brming's need for divine love we
else see thet love may he construed es united to progress. 111 etch po-
there is s struggle between the asteriel end spiritusl. Rejecting the

uterisl Inst have, es in the use of Isrshish.‘ neoessitsted en effort

Fro-s. mthhrlend Orr, A handbgok to the sax-h of hogs-t Bracing, 239.

~46-

shich would add to the soul's stature. Whether Broming discussed lore.
imortality,'or any particular aspect of his religious attitudes, he

always scene to conclude with this one thought, progress.

Chapter V'

II? ’CRTALI TY

It is not difficult to comprehend that Brawning believed that tha‘e
I is a life after death. The fact that he believed so mphatically in
Christ would atolude any doubt as to whether he believed in eternity. As
devout a Christian as the poet would of course recognise imortality, for
it would seen that to deny it would be to deny Christ's mission.

However, in addition to this logical deduction there is evidence in
the Browning characters of the poet's faith that life does not aid with
the grave. In "Saul" livid says,

By the pain-throb. triumphantly winning
intensified bliss

And the next world's reward Ind repose,
by the struggle in this.

Through other characters too Browning stated that he believed that
God would be no God at all if there were nothing but the grave to look
forward to. He believed there would be no love in a diety who would grant
merely the brief space of a fee years on this earth. In 'hster Day“ he
am.

How dreadful to he grudged
No ease henceforth, as me that's Judged,
Condemned to earth forever. shut
Fran Ilesvoni2
The poem continues with the thought that for a Christian there is hope
that he may read": the “Better Land.“ As the poem oonoludes. Browning
leaves this picture: mm:- my breaksl Christ rises! And mercy is in-

finite because God, in Christ, lived, loved. and died for man.

 

rRobert arming. "Saul," @plete Poetic and m-anatic Works, River-
side edition, 184. w

’ Robert Browning. "mm: W,“ 92 cit., 335.

.49...

It is then not difficult to comyrehend that “rowing believed in a

life after death. There seems to be, however, some difference among

he critics as to just what his concept of imcrtality consisted of.
Canon IIsmphill felt that in reaching immortality, drawing is hardly
Christian, while another critic says that in this respect he is neither
mystic nor Christian. A third critic, Helen Archibald Clarke, says that
his imortality suggests reincarnation, that his future for the soul is
not a heaven of bliss, but life in other worlds full of activity and
aspiration. Hence in ”On:- fiord Kore" his successive incornstions take
one on to higher heights --- ”other lives in other worlds.” "Isiiss clerks
also mentions the supremacy of love in connection with immortality and,
although she herself does not believe that Bro—animus an orthodox
Christian, she recognizes the fact that others do.1 Frances '1'. Russell,
in answering that beeches of the‘soul in the hereafter, states that
Srowning's reliance on mysticism is a plea for illusion. She states that
he ”glows with conscious virtue as one who displays a medal when he
announces that at least he 'belisved in soul and was very .sure of God.‘
Beyond that, however, she says he declined to answer syncificeally.z To
William P. Rev-ell Browning‘s imortality consisted of a ceaseless yearn-
ing to attain fellowship with COde3 This interpretation is of course mys-
tical and refutes those who stated that in considering immortality
3rc'ming was not mtical. There is one other critic, Augustus Hopkins

Strong, whose opinion I would like to mphesize. he states that Browning

 

f Helen Archibald Clarke, Drawing shims Cmturx, 365-9.
2 Frances To Russell, One lfire—WorTon Trev-mine, 105.
3 William F. Revell, RFEwningfis Cr 0 sm 0 fe, 30e

 

 

sees in love a guarantee for insoortsdity.1 Then there are of course
those than Miss Clarke mentions who considered Browning an orthodox
Christian. Finally whatever differences (1‘ interpretation may exist
among the critics regarding Browning's belief in imortality, there is
no doubt that he did believe that the soul still lives after the body is
dead.

Browning's view on this particular subj act is actually much simp-
ler than cans of the critics have made it. It is characterised by be-
lief in divine love and progress and he is therefore both Christian'and
mystic. Hiss Clarke's stntensnt that the supremacy of love influenced
Browning‘s ideas of a future life and Er. Strmg's opinion that Brewing
saw in love a guarantee for immortality are borne out by the characters
of the poet's writings. Likewise. any critic who identified imortality
- 1th the wetical concept of progress can find Justification for it in
the Browning personalities. We need only let the poet speak for himself.

Of the two influenc. ~— progrsss and divine lore ... the first
seen to be the straigsr. At least more of the poem nenti oning imrtal-
ity can be id intified with progress than with God's love. This nay be be.
cause of the fact that a mute;- of his was were written before he cans
to believe so firmly in the power of Girist's love. it any rate, thraigh
all his characters he states that the soul is eteml and life on earth
is but one stage of the soul's progress and that the next life is vcy
much like this one only better. These were his thoughts regarding a future
existence. After his ”discovery" while writing ”Christmas Eve and meter
my“ he added to this philosopmr that imortality was due to divine love.

i Augustus Hopkins Strong, Great Poets and Their Theoloq; 444.

 

'Prospioe” shows how imortality is characterised by progress. The
title means literally ”Look Forward." ‘The poet is looking forward to the
time when his soul may join his wife's. After his wife's duth Browning
rate in her Testament a translation of mnte's words concerning Beatrice
(Cmito, II, 9).

Thus I believe. thus I affirm, thus I am certain it

is, that from this life I shall pass to another, thire,

where that lady lives of whom my soul was enamored.
Hence "Prospice.’ in addition to being an illustration of the poet's be-
lief in the progress of the soul, is also an affirmation of faith in the
soul's immortality. The two are, in fact. in this instance identical.

In "Rabbi Ben hrs“ the title character speaks fu' Robert Browning.
Here again it is not possible to discuss imortality as a thing separate
frm progress. Rabbi Ben Esra also links growth with eternal life. Since
he was a Jew, he probably did not believe in salvation through Christ. He
did, however, believe that the soil is eternal. that life on earth is but
a preparation for the life to bone. Thus the climax of earthly life is
not attained in the middle of it but at its close. the time nearest death.
Old age, according to Rabbi Ben Esra..is the time when we reap what so
have been saving during younger yore. Youth is s time for work and prep-
aration for old age when one may, having 'proved" the past, faoe‘tbe
future and suit death unafraid. At this time he will pass from the stage
or a developed brute to "a God though in the germ." From this we may con--
clude that Rabbi Ben Barn, and heme Browning, looked upon what comes

after death as but one more step in the progress of the soul just so the

I William Clyde DcVane. A Brmingjandbbgfi, 268.

soul passes from youth to old age. The whole poem conveys e sense of unity
and movement of earperi mce toward e goal.

”Abt Vogler" like ”Rabbi Ben aura” implies that the next life is vry
much like this one only better. Abt Vogler, a musician, has just finished
improvising a piece of msio which he considere perfect. he regrete thst,
being extemporenems, it was not recorded and so will not live. He ree-
sone that it was much too beautiful to perish—only what is ugly should
die while beauty and goodness should be permanent. Although there is im-
perfection on earth, there is another piece-memely, heaven-where there
is only perfection. mat is beautiful on earth will become permanent in
heaven. so thst there will never be one loet good... What wee. shell live so
before; Evil will not merely as a contrast, thus melting the good "so much
good more." And in the tenth stanza Abt Vogler. or rather Bronzing, for
- Abt Yogler 3.5. Browning, seye
All we have willed or hoped or dreamt! of good

shell exist;

Hot its semblance. but itself. no beauty, nor

good, nor power 1
Whose voioe m. gone forth, but each curvivee

.00...
Cu earth we have the ”broken arcs" .... in heaven the ”perfect round" and,
as Bordoe says,
The harmony of e few bars of music on earth suggests the eternal
harmonies of the Author of order; the rays of goodness which
brighten mrieth here suggest I. Sun of Righteousness fran which
they “note.
50 it would em from the above poems that Browning‘s conception of im-
tality comisted of not another life but rather e continuation of this one

where perfection ariete end where evil only mphssisee the good.

 

fRobert firming, 'Aht Vogler,” on. cit., 533.
Edward Berdoe, mejrownini Cyclogeals, 4.

rs-

Thus the poet's expression in "Cld Pictures in Florence" that he
hopes that there is no eternity for he is tirei and wants to rest is mere-
ly dramtio and not in harmony with his gonml views.1 There is another
idea in this some poem which is more indicative of Brewing-3's true opinion.
A group of men are looking at some pictures which seem perfect. Instesd
of being awed by them they feel that what hes come to perfection perishee,’
end we are inpcrfect because eternity is before us and because we were
made to grow. It is part of the total existence.

Augustus TT. Strong stated that Browning saw in love s guarantee for
ixmortelity} The best character to illustrate this is David. He tells _
Saul that 3 man will be born, God mnifest in the flesh, me will love him
forever and because, of that man's love, there will be eternsl life. Brown-
ing in this poem some to see love behind the will and might in the incar-
nation of God and in inmortality.

"Clean,“ by a negative method also states Browning‘s belief in love
and imortslit'y. Clean has heard of Christ but he (sonnet be trmbled to
leu'n Iran I. more barbsrisn Jew. From what he has heard, the doctrine of
Christianity can be held by no sane man. Thus. by showing the enp'tinose
and despair of e life in which the sinple love-compelling religion of Christ
is absent, he also shows how much more hope there is in the life of s Chris-
tian whose God ins revealed eternity.

This poem purports to be e. letta'. in it, Cleon answers the question
as to whether he rears death ae others do. It seems that he tetra it even
more than the ”unlesrned and untutored" for he is leaving behind uncle and
art vhioh posterity will admire and which will keep his name ell". While

1 Mrs. Sutherland Orr, Brandpook to the Works of Robert Browning, 210.
3 Augustus H. Strong,op. cit., 444'. ‘—

people are singing his praises he, the originator, will lie rotting. He
wishes it were not so, that there were an after—life. In this letter
then, by the absence of s love for Christ, Brezming shows the value of e
belief in immortality by showing how’s lack of it causes one to over
value the things of this world.

On the'basis of these chrrscte*s who speak in the words of Browning
-_one my deduce that he did quite certainly believe in imcrtelit-y, that
the next life for his was much like the present one only better, that his
conception of immortality was colored somewhat by his‘belief in divine
love and that it was colored even more by his belief tn progress. It was
no more a place of reward than of :unishment. It involved neither condi-
tion of fitness nor possibility of exclusion. It was simply 1 continue-

tion of the life begun on earth --- another stage of development.

Chepter VI

BROWSING, NINEI'EWTH CMY REIGIUTS PHILOSOPHE?

Thet Bronzing me e nineteenth century religioue philoeopher ie
brought out in neny aye. There ere, firet of ell, e number of pereone
in hie pone who tell of hie ettitude tmrd verioue religioue eecte of
the ninetemth century end towerd Cetholice in particular. Other pereone
eho' hie feeling toward epiritueliem. ecimce ee cppceed to religion.
reticulum. Thy ehow in en indirect menner hour he wee influenced by
the Breed Church Haunt end treneoendentelien, end, in eddition to
theee eix item. there ere e number of poene in ehich the poet epeeke
directly of deubte eo prevelmt in hie century. All of theee trade were

of hie ege end thet he wee keenly enere of them ie ehown in hie poetry.

Religioue Background of 19th Gaming;

.The beginning of the nineteenth century nerked en epoch of religioue
thought. The deiete of the previoue century hed exelted reeeon. Their
God hed been en ebeenteevcod whoee divine ectirity included nothing more
then creeting the world. Their belie! ee fer ee God nee concerned m
thet he hed node the world, eterted it running like e nechine, end it bed
been going eithout him ever eince. They m. ekepticel of enpernetnrel
rereletion or enything which could not be perceived through the eeneee.
Religion by the beginning of the nineteenth century wee nothing more then I
e cold morelity.

In vie: of thie background end the dieccveriee of eoince, the nine-
teenth oenmry becene e period of cmfliot end e eeeroh fa eolne kind of
religioue authority. There were conflicte within econonioe. morele,

~55-

eooiety ee e whole end eleo within religion. There me e oleeh between
ecientific theories and religious eecte. All these factore dieturbed the
Victoriene end «need then to eeerch for eome kind of euthority thet
would enewer their queetione end eoothe their dieturbed minde. Some Vio-
toriene fund their enewer tc thie eeerch in the Oxford Haunt. Other!
found it in the echeol of tremcmdenteliem.

The Oxford Moreent eppeeled to the euthority of the hietorie Cetho-
lie Church of ixich, it contended, the national church of the country to
e pert. Innediete cause of the nor-neat wee the enppreeeion by the re-
form government in 1838 of ten Irieh biehoprice elong with the hint to
the Englilh preietee to ”eet their houee in order.“ The firet etep wee
teken'et e neeting of e few friende. It wee there decided to begin publi-
eetion of 'Treote for the Tinee" to ecmbet liberelien by eecrenmtelien.
Thoee leet four worde. in fect, "cachet liberelien by ucrmtdien,"
ere the eeeenoe of the whole movement for it wee juet thet - concern-
tiwe. eecrementel, end oppoeed to the growing liberelien of religion in
mglend. Theee Oxford Trecte. ehort end inoieive. were the motiveting
power of the moment. and ite leedere were econ known ee Treeterieneo

Under the leederehip of John Xeble (profeeeor of poetry et Oxford).
Cerdinel John Nemmn, end Huey (profeeeor end oenon of Chriet Church, .A "
Oxford), the movement gathered etrength in ite effort to return in doo-
trine end worehip to the Anglicanien of the eevuteuth century. With
the effort to neke the neticnel church more truly Catholic on the doc-
trinel teeching thet ney be owned up in one word - inoernetion. Their
empheeie wee on Chriet ee the beeic truth of religion end He wee to be
fund only through the Cethelio Church.

-5 6-

‘Nhen William George Ward and other younger men entered the noruut
(about 1839), the empheeie ehifted from the historic to the ethicel end
philoeophicel aepect of the Cethclic Church. The Protectent Reformetion
wee pictured ee a ein end reetoretion with the Rowen Church use pictured
u the ideal. The reeult one that the nor-cent wee eplit in helf. Pueey
and Xeble etood firm for the original hietoriml wilt point. lie—en
wewered. He had wanted eonething between Cetholieiem end Proteetentien.
but an imperiel church euch co the younger men pictured, eppeeled to him.
The finel etep cone in 1845 when Roman traneferred hie ellegience from ‘
the Anglican to the Cetholic Church.

Although thie affected Browning very little, the reuerice he £3 like
concerning the Tracteriane were unfrimdly. Bred e3 he eee in dieeenting
Camberwell end imereed in hie writing in Italy, he eee “probably neithc
eurprieed nor interested” what Newman joined the Cethelio Church. However.
in 1345 h. wrote to hie wife. “I don't think I ehell 1.1: you hear, after
ell. the eavege thinge ebout Pcpee end imginetive religione that I met
“y.“ Agein in 1850 when lire. Browning m elerned lt their little eon'e
religioue fervor, ”kneeling on hie kneae to the HM eamd of meic, and
folding hie hende and turning up hie eyee in e earl: of ecetaticel etetef
Browning remarked thet ”it ie ee well to have the eyeteeth and the Pueey-

”2 0n the whole, however, Browning came to

ieticel orieie over together.
have been intereeted very little in the (btfcrd Morenent.
The treneoendatel echool found ite enewer to thie eeeroh for relig-

ioue euthcrity in an ”inner light,” conscience. or faith. Whereee the

 

I William Clyde DeVene. A Browningcfia ndbock, 181.
2 11314, P. 181m

-57-

Oxford Movement eew God in Increments and ordinancee. trenecendentalien
eew hire in men and nature.

The mcet ready way to underetand tranecendeuteliem ie by recognis-
ing it ae e mrt of nyeticien and by eurvqying ite history. Ite tendency
toward idealiem detee back to the eecond end third centuriee A. I). whu
there epreng up a echool cf philoeophy celled Hee-Pletcnien. Thie philoe-
ophy inveetigeted the humn eoul. It embraced the idea that the eoul
originated in a epirit world (God), than deecended into earthly form.
Through ite adaptation to earthly life the eoul loet ite eenee of divine
origin and returned to God ( or Heaven) mly by loving the epirit. The
Nee-Platoniete believed that by oontunpletion of ideal valuee Inn night
free himeelf from the dnnination of eerxee and attain a etate of "ecetuy'
in which he becanee one with God. . .

This idealistic etmoephere wee imparted to tranecendentelien through
tranecendenteliem'e nyeticel nature, for nyeticiem ie, in fact, an impor-
tant part of Hec-Pletcniem and other idealietic eyetem.1 Jemee From
Clarke eeye.

wetioiem my be celled the belief that men can cane into union

with the Infinite Being by neene ef a wholly peeeive eelf-eur-

render to divine influence. The organ in can by which he thue
omnee with God ie not will or reeeon; it ie not moral nor
intellectual but a hidden faculty of the eoul behind them all.

In the ecetetic must of thie union, tine, epeoe. body. eoul.

pereonal existence. al dieeppeer, end men becomee absorbed
into the Divine Being.

 

T7i‘he College Survey of mglieh Literature, New York, Hercourt, Brace a
00 "' e r
8 9 I

Jenee Freeman Clarke, Bronte end Egche in Religioue Hietor , 2'76.
Thie ie of oouree iden ea c r )ne opurgeon'e ene. ye e of

myetioien. (See p. 2 of thie paper.

 

Trensoendentalism combines features of most of these forms of ideal-
ism. It is the opposite of empiricisn. a doctrine which maintains that
truth is to be sought end found in the evidence of the five senses. In
the theological sense, transcendentalisn holds that religious truth my
be apprehended outside of ordinary sense experi once, a' "the source of
religious truth is an organ or process of apprehension transcending (ris-
ing above) ordinary sense orporience.“1

Thus inasmuch es to know is not an intellectual process, the mystic,
because of the transcendental aspect of hie nature, is distinguished from
the theologian, the lcgician, the rationalist, and the mu of. scimce.
Belief, to the mystic. is based not on logic or facts but on feeling ---
intuitive inner knowledge. Truth comes through emotion or transcendental
feeling rather then through superience or reason, which are subordinate
to intuition. The soul and not our brain will inform us as to what is
right. The senses. however acute and highly developed. my mislead us and,
if we are to obtain their full value, we must realize their limitations.
This then is the, background of trenccmdentelicm. It is mystical and
idealistic in nature.

Whereas Browning was effected only slightly by the Oxford movement,
he wee affected a great deal by this nineteenth century transcendentelism.
"any of the personalities of his peers are simple people who had had
little contact with the world. They were ignorant in the sense that they
were untutcred and unlearned, yet they were wise. Their wisdom ones not
through the mind or experience but through the soul, and through this in-

tuition: they were eble to follow good.

 

f—The College mrvqr of mglish Literature1 10.
Various other terms for this are inner light. mystical insight, relig-
ious consciousness. ‘

-59-

Pe0ple who felt that scientific findims had upset the frame-work (1'
religion often found a solution in this new philosophy. By uniting the
real world the world of ideas, of the mind, and of the spirit, and by mak-
ing the world of matter merely a gament or symbol of spiritual reality.
nan was able to regain confidence in himself as a spiritual being. His
world again became a spiritual order and God a reality. Transcendental-
ism exalted sun's individuality.

English transcendentaliem we derived from the German philosopher
Kent whotaught that science can describe the way things appear to us
through our emcee but it is limited in that it can give us no picture
of things as they would appear to a perfect mind such as that of God. It
can describe the world as man sees it thrwgh his understanding, but it
cannot tell him what the world is like whm not Viewed through that gift.
In other words, understanding prescribed its laws to nature instead of
vice-worse. Viewing the situation from that standpoint, it is probable
that space, time, and mtter did not look so self—sufficient, so tyrannous
to the Victorian.1

The Tiroeud Church Movonmt, another religious trend of the nineteenth
century, some to have had each in omen with transcendentelisn. Both
championed an earnest and free spiritual faith which, in the case of the
Broad Church, was also Christian. Both were influenced by Coleridge and ,
Cermn philosophy, and both in turn influenced Robert Browning.

Brand Church Party is a term loosely applied. It ms, in fact, re-

pudiated by the leaders themselves. However, there is some. historical

 

IgChnrles F. Harrold and William D. Tenplemen. giglish Prose of the
Victorian Era. xxxvii-xlvi. _

 

-60-

justification in that it described their tendency toward doctrinal empre-
hensiveness. The Broad Church Movement also explains somewhat Robert
Browning's attitude toward religion for its emphasis. like his, was on con-
duct, not dogm.

These three movemmts-n-the Oxford crisis, transcendentalism, and the
Broad Church—comprised the major trends in nineteenth century religious

thought, and they are reflected in Robert Browning‘s characters.

Browning's Attitude Toward Catholicism

 

Critics often point to Browning's treatment of the priesthood as a
curious Hatter. He has spoken of then slightingly in a umber of pom-
in "Fra hippo Lippi.” ”ficliloguy of the Spanish Cloister,” “Bishop Blou-
gram's Apnea," “The Bishop Orders his Torah.” and ”The Ring and the Book.”
Vernon Harrington feels, however, tint Browning was in sympathy with the
Roman Catholic Church. Although he see an extreme Protestant. the mystic
in his: responded to such that he found in Catholicism. His aesthetic
sense. for instance. felt strongly the appeal of the artistic side of the
Church's worship. He also respected the genuine piety which so any '
Catholics felt. Harrington points out that firming wade the finest fig-
are of nobility and self-sacrifice in his poem a young Roma Catholic
p‘iest, Guiseppe Caponsacchi. in ”The Ring and the Book,” and the Pope in
that same work is an mp1s of justice and Wilden.

The poem ”Fra Lippo Lippi" is an example of this duality in Browning's
treatment of Catholics. Fra Lippo Lippi. who shows transcendental charac-
teristics, is contrasted to his superior church officials who are M-

ered good but who. in Browning's opinion, are superficial and shallow.

-61..

They scorn Brother Lippi, criticize hin.becausc his beliefs (”unlike a
hell or two bits of stick nailed crosswise") do not encourage people to
repeat their prayers or to fast on Friday. And Lippo Lippi, to atone for
his capriciousnees of sliding out of his window on the bed sheets, pro-
poses to paint a picture whidl will please the Church. This scene to im-
plv how cursory and affected Browning considered such ostentatious and
dogmatic religions. The inmate goodness and intuitive knowledge of this
unlearned monk is a contrast to the priests who conceived of Christ as a
wafer to be eaten all day long.

Another contrast in Browning's consideration of the Catholic priest-
hood occurs in ”The Ring and the Book.” There is, first of all Paul
Franceschini, the heroine's hrother-in-law, who is sneaking, mean, and
primarily interested in furthering his own prospects or those of the
Franceschini family. Secondly, there is Pompilia‘s'(the heroine's), hus-
band, Count Guido Franceschini, also a receiver of the {riesthood.' In addi-l
tion to the Shoal-cine; meanness of his brother, he is pictured by Brovming
as a villain and murderer. His one interest in life'wus obtaining his
wife's fortune. A third menher of the Catholic order who is treated in a
disparaging manner in “fhe Ring and the Book" is the archbishop of when
Ponpilia sought aid. He promised to help her by writing a letter to her
foster parents informing them of her unhappy life with Count Guido. Howe
ever, reflecting later on the poser held by the Franceschini family and
hon'their influence might in some manner determine his own position, he
decided against sending the letter. In the vernacular, these three were

"hiding behind the church."

o6??-

The young priest. Giuseppe Capensscchi. is s contrast to the shove
chsrscters. He acted as his mystical insight advised regardless of per-
sonal gain or loss. Vernon Harrington points out that]

by s. keen insight Ccponsacchi knew that the letters which were
brought to him were not Pornpilis‘s work hut Guido's...’i‘he strug-
gle which Ccponsscchi went through before he decided to take
Ponpilie stay is a great stow in the development of 1 soul.

He was staking everything and would lose everything. He knew
that no one would give his. credit for right motives in running
any with Count Guido's wife. His whole future ms at stake...
Yet here was the service of God, and he knew he could never
have any respect for himself before God if he failed to help
this woman in her need:

”how true,
I cm s priest: I see the function here.”

This more]. struggle through which he passed between the time
when she first spoke to him, and the hour when they fled is
scathing great. I": actually persuaded himself not to do it;
he thought he had decided that he nmld not Help her escape.
He honestly went to her window the second time to comfort her
and advise her not to dmpair. But when she appealed to him
again. threw herself on his help in her desperate straits. all
he had decided to do and sea,' went to the winds. He recognized
here the challenge of duty. ..... s challenge which could not be
refused without making him an coward before God, and he told her
how to meet his end «map...1

Browning hes portrayed Csponsucchi es s priest ire. rather then concern
himself with mun-songs, automatic prayers (which Browning says. 1- not
sctusl paying). and other superficislities or the Catholic Church. was
willing to do what he felt was right regardless of the criticism such on
set mld bring upon himself. This brought growth to his soul. and this
is the kind of person of whom Erowning approved regardless of religious
creed.

The Pope is also s contrast to Paul. Guido. and the archbishop. mien
he sentenced Count Guide to death, recOgnizing the limitation of his judg-

ment, he ssid.

 

fiernon C. Harrington. Brow-rung Studies.'197-8.

 

How can I speak but u I know?

God who sent.;i.e.to judge thee meted out

'30 much of judging, faculty, no more: 1

Ask Bin if I one sleek in use thereof:
The Pope is en ample of justice and wisdom. He recognized truth es
truth, called good good, and evil to him was still evil. There we no
compromise. He preferred those people who, like Pompilie end Caponseochi.
know good by instinct and edhere to it. They have the transcendental
quality of perceiving truth. He says of the young priest.

Does he take inspiration frm the Church,

Directly make her rule his law of life?
Not he: his own more impulse guides the men -

2

The Pope felt that it wmld be better for Cetholics to pit more effort
into good deeds (such es Caponsecchi's) than into becoming ”urtyrs" when-
ever sane dogma of the Church needed defence. He considered it ridiculous
that. some should have been disturbed by the feet that the Chinese converts
used es God's name, not Tien-chu, but plein i'ien. The Church had issued
e. decree to correct the matter but were not st ell concerned thst within
the interior of China. plague and famine were leying waste whole cities;
For himself. the Pope prefers sdepting virtue es his my of 11:... He will
preeoh to the world whet his heart has taught him. The central truth es
he sees it is ”Power. Wisdom, Goodnees. - God.”

Browning‘s attitude toward Catholicism as danonstreted by the char-
eoters in these few poems seems to consist of en sdmirstion for ell thet

ens sincere in that religious creed end e distaste for s11 that was insin-

cere end dogs: a

i n a W
Robert Browning, The Ring end the Book," on. cit 549.
Ibid, p. 422. "

Brosninfi's Attitude Toward Transcendentelism and Broad Church

In addition to revealing tBrowning's attitude toward Catholicism. Fra
Lippo Lippi also reveals Browning's attitude toward transcendentalisn.

He is a simple character who has never mastered much formal learning yet
he is full of wisdom and prwerbs. For instance, he was wise in recog-
nising that life in the flesh is good and that those rho ignore its value
are, in effect, telling a lie and hurting themselves. He recognized the
beauty of the world, its wonder and its power. He felt that the shapes of
things; ”their colors, lights, and shades, changes, surprises” were e truth
it would be a crime to let slip. ”It means intensely," Fra Lippo Lippi
states, "and means good." Browning implies that Brother Lippo Lippi ens
correct in painting the Tsicr's niece as beautiful as she truly appeared
instead of ignoring the flesh and painting only the soul, for there cannot
be beauty without soul. Supposing that there could be. however, Fre Lippo
Lippi (or Browning) says that simple beauty and nothing else would be the
best thing God invents, for then you will find the soul you missed within
yourself.

Fre Lippo Lippi. Caponsecchi, and the Pope are also examples of the
Broad Church Movement's influence upon Browning in that they are all uten-
ples of conduct versus dogm. Fro Lippo Lippi, for instance. paints as
his heart tells him to paint. He lives what he feels to be a good life,
enjoying the beauty of things, and is not influenced by such things as the
Church's dogmas end prayers written in Latin. In Caponsecchi's ease the
accustomed routine of daily church duties became insignificant in the face
of a greater purpose. His conduct in rescuing Pcznpilie, Browning implies,

is nearer God-liners than the superficialities of the Catholic Church.

r

'3
~iJQ-

The Pope too, in sentencing Pmpilia's husband and mrderer, exhibits
Browning's preference for conduct rather than dogma. All of these per-
sons follow the dictates of their consciences rather than the dogmas of

church and society .

firming Chooses Protestantism

 

In an Epilcme toDramtis Personae drowning surveys the three
major tendencies in christiani‘ty during the sixth and sevmith decades of
the ninetemth century and makes a final stateaent of his own position.
The three aspects which he cheerves in the 17:11'9ilozjue are the same three
he delineated in 'Christnas Eire” in 1850. The first is of cmzrse the '
ritualistic Catholic Church which had influenced the Anglican Church in-
mencely. Tiavid is made to speak for this. ritualistic point of View,
“honoring the. Bones of the Lord, the Church, as the residing place of Code"1
The second speaker is Renan, author of La Vie do J'E‘E’ who represents
the rationalist. The increase of historic-.1 knowledge has caused the
divinity of Christ to fade for him He is, in this respect, comm-able
to the German professor in ”Christmas Eve.”

Browning himself as the third speaker answers these two aspects of
nineteenth century Christianity. His position is the cane as in ”Christ-
nae live." De‘hne says ,

Be appealed from historical criticism to intimte personal feel-

ing, to the need for Christ in life and the human heart. This

is the position he had taken in "aul," 'Harshieh,‘ “Clean,” and

”A Death in the Desert,” and the position he was to hold to the

end of his days. when Browning once read the Milorue to ”re.

Orr, he said to her, "That Face, is the face of Christ. That is
how I feel him.“

1 William Clyde DeVszne, A Brmin: Handbook, 278.
Ibid, p. 279. fi

Bromim declares in this pom that God is everywhere in the universe,
that he is not limited to church oreeds or church buildings.

Dei'ane points out that Browning's choosing; the simple chapel of the
Dissenters in preference to the Catholic Church or the loveless religion
of the rationslists was influenced greatly by his wife. The following
letter which she wrote in 1846 states in clear prose the erect substance
c?‘ the View: which Browning; has 1m forth in the Epilogue and in "Christ-
mas Eve":

I meant that I felt unwilling, for my own part, to put on any of
the liveries of the sects. The truth, as God sees it, met be
something so different from these opinions about truth - these
systems which fit ditfererat classes of men like their coats, and
wear brows: at the elbows almysi I believe in what is divine and
floats at highest, in all these different theologies --- and be-
cause the really Pifine draws together souls, and tends to a unity,
I could prey anywhere and with all sorts of worshiposrs, from the
Sistine Chapel to Mr, Fox's, those kneeling and those standing.
Wherever you go, in all religious societies, there is a little to
revolt, and s. good deal to bear with ~— but it is not otherwise
in the world without; and within, you are especially reminded that
God has to be more patient than yourself after ell. Still you go
quickest there, where your sympathies are least ruffled and dis-
turbed-u-and I like, beyond comparison best, the simplicity of
the dissenters...the um'n'itten nrayer,...the sacraments adminis-
tered quietly and without charlatanismt and the principle of s
church, as they hold it, I hold it too...‘.‘iell, there is enough
to dissent from among the dissenters...you feel moreover bigotry
and irnorance pressing on you on all sides, till you gasp for
breath like one strangled. But better this, even, than what is
elsewha'e...l'he Whiter-inns seen to me to throw over what is most
beautiful in the Christian Doctrine: but the Formulists, on the
other side, stir up a dust, in which it appears excusable not to
see. When the veil of the body falls, how we shall look in 0
each cther's face, astonished,...after one glance at God'si

That is what Browning seems to have been trying to say in ”Christmas Eve"
and in the Epilogue to Dramatie Personae. ‘I-‘ie'o religious sect scanned to
fit his_tastes perfectly but the religion of the non-Confomi sts cane the

olos eet.

 

1 William Clyde Define, A Browning Handbook, 178-9.

CEmptor 7:1

13303.1 'IAZIS 1.1.1313 19'2'1 I? J1"! 3K3??? ICIS."

Then one considers that 'irounlng wroi. e for his own century, it
sea-13 consistent that he 91101111111176 wri‘d' on so much concerning doubt
enfl faith. Had he lived, let us 8.9;, 200 years before 8.31.1 113.1 been disk-
ed 111113121 war he be‘ie. e11 in God enl imor‘c. 111117;], .1113 2.1131 .rer would ~111-1170
been most assuredly in the affirmative. Had he lived in the eighteenth
century with its 60379310133 an! 1121:111ed the some quest ion put to 111' n,
the reply would probably have been the opposite. 111'. 'to Browning's own
generation were me more uncertainty than there was either belief or
disbelief. To those who Jere asking t11e:melvee and each 0‘1. her w‘1 othex
t1; ere was a C01, wh ether there 1:113 a. 1'12? e after 'his one. Browning's
writin’e cane as a solace.

The speaker in the poem very appropriately anti bled ”Fears and
Scruples" gives Browning's answer to the doubters. The speaker has an
unseen friend. Tie only eridence of" this absent person is 't'm‘Wgh let-
tors from him and through hearing of his actions. Diobeliovera taunt him
with tLe fact t! at ha .188 no proof that the letters are not forgery. that
the actions are not re orepreeen ted. Tue; r M0111 ’ have 111121 believe that it
is a. fancy.

In spite of those taxmta the speaker still loves the unseen friend.
1713 does wish, however, hat his friend would confirm his hopes. To the
suggestions thrt the friend is concealing hirrself to test the lpmkor':
belief and fixed; such 0. person would seem to be no friend at all but

rather a. monster, the speaker answers,

Bush, I pray you;
What if this friend happened to be -- God?

1
This last line nukes clear the meaning of the poem T113 letters then
become the Scriptures, the actions the Actions of Christ 2' God.

Bran-min; wrote the folloxz'ing letter to ’1'. G. Fir-{gland to explain
the poem to him... If for "fri and," we read Cod, for "letters,” we read
S‘cflp‘tures, and for ”actions" we unrlers‘amui the miracles of God, we real-
129 that tho lettsr nxrporta to be an extirossion of the poet's mm faith.
Browning; m‘ote,

I think that the point I wanted to illustrate was this: there

there is a genuine love of the "latter-'3" and "actions” of the

invisible "friend,” --- hcworer these may be disadvantaged by

an inability to meet the obj actions to their authenticity or

historical value urged by "eozperts" who assum the privilege of

learning over 1gnc‘...noo, --- it would indeed be a wrong to the
wiodmn and goodness of the ”friend" if he mro sum-205 ed capable

of overlooking the actual ”lava" and only considering the

"ignorance" which, failing to in any degree affect "love," 18

really the highest «ideas. that "10v." exists. So I meant,
vdzether the result be clear or no.

The pocn.1tsclf is an o proscion of a very simply religious [arson who
is disturbed by his inability to prove to others that God and faith are
real, however sure ho may be of than “me? if.
It cannot be said that the speaker is totally without some doubt.
Such lines as
Fe keeps absent, --- wby, I cannot think.
and

Po himself was busied with my betters:
What of that? My turn must can come day.

”Some day" proving -- no dayt Hero's the put: 0.
Passed and passed my turn is. "“ny complain?

 

1 Robert Browning, "Fears and Scraping,” op. cit., 811.
2 mg. 811. .........._.
3 Ibzg, 811.

 

.6 9-

indiooto that ho did havo om niogivingo. but in opito of thooo ho ocu-
timoo oortoin tbot God will «no day notico him. So it m with

Browning.

Doubto Cannon-hing Biblical Hiotoq

Mach of tho ninotoonth ommry doubt oomo to hovo boon bad on o
looming conflict bottom Bibliool otorioo‘ ond hiotory. Thoro no I fool-
ing that it than oppoarod no analog in tho ‘rolmd for o givon piooo of
Biblical litmturo, that port at tho Biblo mid not bo truo. rho «not
doto or St. John'o dootb no tho oubjoot of no out: “into. may on-
oidorod it to to tho you 70 A. D. an! thoroon buod thoir doubto ond
oritioion. Boo could tho For futonont book of John hovo boon outta
by that poroon at tho and of tho tint oonmry it hio dutb. «cording
to biota-y, ooonrrod boforo that tin! Tbio. of oonroo. to ally ono ouch
onmploo

Browning otton nodo "tort to thooo hiotoriool oritioo of tho oorip-
turoo. mao ovidaoo of thin-in oonuinod in hio lottc to I. 6. King-
hnd «pinning bio' purpooo in "Fooro and Sample.“ Whoa ho an.

hWIVOP tbooo my bo dioodvontogod by on inability to loot

tho objootiono to thoir outhmtioity or historical "loo

nrgod by 'oxpo " who ooonno tho wivilogo of 1min;

our ignoronoo.

ho is. or oouroo. indiroctly oddrouing tho hiotoriono.

Doubts Cmomtbo Poroomlity of Chriot
Anothor losing conflict botooon Biblical otorioo ond hiotory no
amplitiod in tho poroonolity of Christ. Tho ninortoonth ooutury mndcod

 

1 Robot-t Brewing, o2. cit., 811.

~70-

whothor tho Cburoh'o viow of Christ'o poroon ond powor woo truo to tho
footo or ohothor thoir pioturo of him woo noroly on ideoliootion. Brown-
ing boood hio reply. oo oontoinod in tho opooch of St. John in “Booth in
tho Dooort“ on tho importonoo of 1m. Horrington ooyo,

Now Chriot io tho Lon of God, ond tho non who rojooto Chriot io
cought in thio illogical pooition, vio. thot ho

"knows himoolf,
Thot ho mot loro ond would bo lovod ogain,
rot. owning bio on lovo thot provoth Chriot.
Rojoctoth Chriot through vory nood of Hin.’

Il'ho imginory 19th oontuxy objootor ogoinot when St. John io org:-
ing ookoo Why didn't you toll tho otory of Chriot'o lifo in ouoh
o woy oo to proolodo doubt? Why oll thio lock of onotnooo ond
ooiontifio proof? Doesn't your work ollow room for tho conviction
thot tho otory io oimply tho vohiolo for o doctrino which you nut
to toooh, oo io odnittodly tho oooo with tho otcy of Praoothmol
St. John onoworo that no non'o work io porfoot. mn io nodthor
God not bout, but o oroomro to lo otruggling

from old to not.
Fran voin to tool. from 1:1 oboko to foot.
From what onoo ooonod good to flat now prwoo boot."
i'bo only ottitudo (shot bofito Inn io ru' bin in humility to do whot
ho out to ooh thingo oright and to follow tho tmtb. Bo tho
Apootlo boo oinooroly dono whot ho could, duping hio otory of
Chriot to "pluck tho blind onoo bo& from tho obyoo".1

Browning m m. ropootod in ovory otonoo hio boliof toot m 1. 1m.

Doubto Cannot-nine? mrooloo
St. John oloo ukoo onowor to tho ninotoatb octory objootoro oom-
oorning Chriot'o poworo or nimloo oo woll oo "got-ding hio poroon.
i'ho onowor which ho nkoo io Browning“ wotiool touch of progrooo.
Pirot not ouo tho "cognition of God'o night oo roprooontod in wirooloo.
tho tho "cognition of bio will bohind tho night, and loot ohmld oomo

 

Tho-non c. Horrington. goofing Studioo. 197-8.

.71.

tho rocognition of hio lcvo (hohind tho will and might). St. John «yo
to tho ninotoonth cultury doubts”.
or. thio io donth and tho oclo dotth,
Whon o mn'o looo moo to him from hio goin,
who" fron now, from knowlodgo ignomnco.
And look of Ion from lovo mdo mifootol
Rio thoory of porpotuol progrooo lends him to boliovo that non no undo
to grow, not otop, and that help cnco hooded my to withdrawn when thot
holp io no longor noodod. God govo non miracloo to aid hio bolioi' until
mon'o mind rooohod o. point of dorolomont whoro ouch holp woo no longor
nocoooory no on aid to hith. God oxpoctod nun from that timo on to
ocknowlodgo God in Chriot hocauoo of 11:19: odnncod ronoon.
Thooo oro tho orgmnento prooontod by Browning thruzgh hio chorootu'
St. John in "Bath in tho Dooort" to tho hiotcricol judgoo of tho Bihlo.
Tho critico, oooording to Broming, hod ovorlockod 1m in Chriot'o porn-
oonolity on! progrooo in rogord to tho cooooticn of nirooloo. It hoo
boon woll ooid that Browning ottomptod by thio poor: to turn tho tlonk of
tho rotimoliotic critico of tho ocripturoo.
Anothor kind or 'niroolo" that no 'moh diocuoood in tho ninotoonth
outta? woo tho nimlo of opirituoliom. hhny Victorian, including
Browning'o wife, holiorod in it and A. Comm 130on collod it
tho grottoot of hnmn tab. to pron imortolity.
to do owny with tho owrul motor)? of dooth, to found
roligion upon pooitivo knmrlotlgo.a

To Browning, homor. opiritnolion woo "o lot of bunk." Ho woo otrong

in hio donuncioticn of th'o‘owindloro.”

.1

2 Robert Brooning. “A Booth in tho Dooort,’ o . cit.; 890.
Willionnlgon Pholpo, 'Rohort Browning on SEE-{Waionf Yolo Ruin.
XXIII. 8. w

-72-

Mr. Sludgo, tho Hodimo, in tho poon by that nono, io Browning'o
ohoroctor who rovoolo how oorccotioolly tho poet wiowod ouch poroono.
Tho ohoroctor io proounod to quol Br. Humo. o famouo ninotoonth contury
opirituoliot. Browning dopicto thio ohnrootor oo o "sneaking. cringing
rotor.” Hr. Pholpo points cut that Browning: was unfair in hio judgnont
for Hume noror took money for his ooanccs.

Hero oro porto of tho convorootion Framing wrote for ?!r. Sludge:

I don't unooy
A oinglo word: I chootod whom I could,
Rappod with our too-joints, cot chum hands at work,
Wroto down nnmoo weak in oynpothotic ink,
Rubbed odic lights with ondo of phosphormtch,
And all tho root; boliovo that: boliovo thio,
By tho onmo token, though it com to cot
Tho crookod otroight again, unooy tho ooid,
stock up whnt I'vo knockod doom;
9..
Who no tho fool
Whoa. to on owo-otruck wido-oyod cpon-mouthod
Circlo of oogoo, Sludgo would introduco
Milton canpooing bohy-rhynoo, ond Locko
Rooooning in gibborioh, Honor writing Gro¢
In naughto and crooo co, Aooph cutting poolmo
To crotchot and qunvor‘l I’wo undo o. 139th oquook
In ohom voico for o minuto. thon outbroko
Bold in my own, defying tho inbooilooo-c
ano copiod oano ghoot'o pothooh. half 9. {ago
Then mdod with my own ocrowl undioguiood.

In opito of hio odmiooicn to cheating. Hr. Sludge folt that ho woo corr-
ing roligion. Ho otctod thot ho "laid tho othoiot sprawling on hio hook,‘
had propped up Soint Poul, ond provod thot man hno o ooul. Ho oooo no
rocoon why Bihlo trutho should not still oporoto. If Somol'o ghost op-
poorod to Soul, why then, should not ocmocno'o nothor’o oppoar to him.
And, oinco roligion io oll or nothing, ho concidoro himolf tho moot

roligiouo of non. arming indiootoo thot oftor «cry-thing hoo boon

f Robot-t arming, "m. Sludgo, tho Bodkin," cg. cit... 403-5.

-7.)-

oaid against Sludge. there is left a reciduo of truth for Sludge conned

to realize that there woo a mystical oopoct to tho univoroo.

goubte Caused by Scimgg

Science and religion in Browning are but different aspecto of tho
cano thing. Helen A. Clarke notes that all chief poets of tho nineteenth
century except Tennyson and timing reflected tho pernlent disbelief
and doubt that came with the revelation of ooionco and that, of tho two.
Browning alone indicated the direction in which future roligiouo aspira-
tion might turn. L'o combined an intuitional with a ocientific outlook-
Tc Brewing knmvledgo acwmlato-i one not actual gain but only a noano
to gain in so for no it might bring homo to the human mind tho fact of
ito own inadequacy. Ho ”sorted (as did Spencer one youro aftor him)
that thero is in nan'o consciousness an intuition which in the only cer-
tain knowledge posoecood by him Thuc, to tho ociontii’ic and noto-
phyoical oido, Browning added a m'otical aide booed on feeling.

Thio caabining of an intuiticnal and scientific viow multod. for
Browning. in a concept of evolutionary progress toward tho infinite.
Therefore, evolution to him mo full of beauty and promise and not oomo-
thing to he feared as it was by mung.r Victorians. The failures in nature
and life furnished to Browning's mind a proof or the existence of the
absolute, or a oomcwharo beyond where things might be rightod.1

Tho nineteenth centxry thinking world was divided into materialinto
and oupernaturalisto. Rise Clarke cites Paracolouo, the character of

Browning's «cool (in point of chronology) monologue, as the poet's reply

A

I Helm Archibald Clarke, Browning and Rio Century, 554. See oloo p.
8-9 of thio paper. "

ff.
an o

to this struggle between science and ouparnaturalistic religion. To
the mind, he gave thenttribute of knwledge. To the spirit, he gave
the attribute of love. Pareceleuo had a glimmering cfthe eoiutitio
methodo which mld diocover the secrete of life's law. He would then
uee thoee natural 11an to bring about life'e bettemmt, "inetead of
hope for ealvation through the diecovery of eome magic oecret by we
of which life'e lav night be overcome."1 Pareceleue. who him-elf had an
intuitive mind, believed that truth in inborn in the eoul. At the end
of the pew. Browning em to have reeolved the whole Veblen. He
reconcil- the differmcee between the materioliote and supernaturaliete
by concluding that love and knowledge mot work together. He allaye
the doubte wood by evolution by eaying that man not have inotinot
”with the idea of evolution.”

In ”Paraceleue" Browning hao brought the idea of evolution to but
upon all natural. known and opiritual proceeeeo of growth (and thie
unity-rive yearn before Spencer, moo Clarke pointe out). In recognie-
ing the evolutionary pregreee of plant life, and animlo, Browning do.
not eeeo to tear evolution in the least, for he reclined that ultinate
knowledge io beyond the greep of the intellect. and that the epirit and
mind are both needed. What Bronzing felt that hio eutury had overlooked
one that, in Chrietienity, the highest eymbol of divine love had been
reached.

Pameleue ie not the eele pool: in ohich Browning epeah of eoiace.

Sordello, for inotame believed that what eeiuoe teachee ie made ueeleoe

 

fHelm Archibald Clarke, cg: cit., Chapter I.

-75-

by the ohortnoee of life, and that truth met therefore cone true the
poet. ”Caliban upon Seteboex or, Natural Theology in the Ieland” and
”Bath in the Deoert“ both etate that cne'e god reeombleo one'e own per-
eonolity.

The grotesque personality of Caliban grovelling in the mid and the
similar personality of his vemei‘ul Cod are a satire “on those who, hav-
ing no revelation of God save that afforded by reason. ineiet upon creat-
ing Him in their own image without admitting their own litmitatidomo“1
Browning inpliee in this character. that we need oomthing more than a.
cold, scientific. mterielietic view point, that reaeon is not enough.
There ie something higher, something more meteriouo that comet be
comprehmdod through the emcee.

DeVene etotoe that it me Darwin's "Origin of the Specieo" (1859)
and the toll: during the lBCO'e of the ”missing link,” of a creature that
met have been half-anon halfuope that caused Browning to write ”Caliban
upon Seteboo.” Caliban is the holf~beaet non of Shakespeare's "The Taup-
eet,“ but Browning being Browning and a nineteenth century wetic. has
given him a theologymoomething he never had in ,Sbokeopeure'e ploy. '

These four characters, Paraceleue, Bordello, St. John, and Caliban
represent Browning's views regarding science. The character-e shoe! that
he one one Victorian who we undisturbed by Roman, Straues, mrwin. and '
Lyell and their booke on Christ and the antiquity of mu, for to Browning.
thoee writere had overlooked one thing, the divine love of Chrietianity.
Ao Killian Revell mentions, God is the one force at work in the whole

variation of nature.2

% William (:1de Ddfane, A Browning Handbook, 265:
William F. Ewell, Browning's Eriticiom of Life, 40.

rep
¢ , Q-

Doubt versus iPaith

Although the bishop in ”Bishon Blougran‘s Apology" is an out-end-
out hypocrite, the poem as a whole served as an aid to bolster nineteenth
century faith. The bishop 'fbelieved" principally because he felt that
it one the say to get ahead. His posing before the peeple as a believer
had brought him ease. worldly contort and position. Browning of course
did not admire such a man and. even though this is evident from the tue
of the poem. he has further safeguarded himself against mr supposin
that he did by speaking near the end of the peas of the bishop's “mind
long onsepled.‘ He also states that the bishop «pressed whatever twig-l}
dental thoughts happened to entsr his mind and am not himelf believe
all he said. He stated than singly because he found than use and hues
amusing. Still amid the bishop's worldlinees and hypocrisy is a no“
deal of sincerity. As Bronzing said.‘the bishop ottu said right things
although he called than by wrong names and it is in these plea“ in the
poems that Browning is speaking himself, encouraging nineteenth eatury
faith.

This poem is one of Broming's min mitions concerning faith 1'.
sue doubt. The bishop tells his listeners that doubt proves faith's
existence. The more of dmbt the stronger faith, is. the faith is put
enough to overcome the doubt. it. bishop knows this by m. and by sun's
free will to mould that life as he chooses. As for the bishop him“.
his doubt is great but his faith's still greater.1 He compares his doubt
to sleep, his faith to his waking hours, and states that the main thing

is ”to sake. not sleep.“

1 Robert Browning, 'Bishop Blougram's Apology,“ op. cit., 354-5.

I say, faith is my raking life:

One sleeps, indeed, and dreams at intervals,

We know, but mking's the main point with no,

And my provision's for life's waking part.

.0.

And when night overtakes me, down I lie,

Sleep, dream a little, and get done with it,

The sooner the better, to begin afresh. 1

What's midnight doubt before the dayspring'e faith?”
Browning lens to find in all these objects of nature --,- the sunset, e
flower, death -- end in all the aooompliehmmte of man ~— suoh ee the
chorus-ending frm Ehripidee ---- a mgmtioal quality which would attest
to God's :resenoe in the world and would therefore preclude any perman-
mt doubt.

The bishop also points out that atheists who try to chuck faith ova-
board are faced with this problem They then have unbelief disturbed by
belief. He saye

All we have gained then by our nnbelief

In a life of doubt diversified by faitB,

For one of faith diversified by doubt.
The position is simply reversed and no peace of mind has been gained.
Ho advises Victorians that just as it is difficult to atop once you be-
gin to out any points of faith one considers false, so is it difficult
to draw the line once one starts believing.

Instinct or tmneoendontal intuition are etill a further ”gamut
against any permnent disbelief.

You can your instincts? why, what else do I,

Who want, an uncle for, and must have a God
are I can be ought, do aught‘! 3

 

fRobert Browning, on. cit., 61.
Ibid, 351.
3 Ibid, 557.

The bi shop felt that v thout faith --- faith in something --- nothing is
accmolishei. The great things in the world have been brcmght about be-
cause of someone'e faith in awe one thing.

One ma; argue at great length both for and against belief in a deity
but one alwaye cameo up with this inevitable truth: There is a power in-
mnent in all nature and in man him elf that can be sensed but cannot be
totell;r apprehended.

Soon or late you hit
Some sense, in which it might be, after all.
thy not, "The ‘a-‘hy, the Truth, the Life?“
Perhaoe the “breaks in the road” were but tests to teach man what faith is.

Althmigh Brmming mg: or may not have been a. theologian and doctor
of philosoyhy as John Jay Clmgvmnn called him, he undoubtedly did. give his
readers more peace of mind anda more tenable belief than may did who

were preaching from the pulpit.

1 Robert Brewing, 02. cit., 351.

Chapter VIII

MORAL ETHICS All?) "GOOD" MID "EVIL" IN ROBE}?! B‘LiC-‘m'IHG

lire. Sutherland Orr claimed that Robert Browning, could not have
been an orthodox Christian since he rejected the antitheeie of good and
evil on which orthodox Christianity reete.1 It ie true that to Browning
”good" and ”evil" eeem to have been relative tom. He felt that one
could not outlet without the other. In order to know good, for inetance,
we met also know evil. Thus, in "Francis Furini" ,. the poet eaye,

For me u. hwwledge can but be

01' good by knowledge of good'e opooeite ---

Evil -- eince, to dietinguieh wrong fr right,

Both met be known in each extrane. eee '
To Browning, then, both good and evil were necessary.

Caroline Spurgeon saya tint othere had previously d :alt with this
theory that good and evil were relative and that one could not exiet with-
out the other but that Brmning m the first to treat it at any length.
It eeaned quite logical to Miss Spot-goon that Browning ehould have taken
this attitude for, ehe eaye, mticien ie alwaye a reconcilement of oppo-
sites: Scinoe and religion can be reconciled: knofledge met exist be—
eide love and vice verea; and so must good and «11.5

Broming'e ideas of good and evil regarding moral ethioe cease to

have been nieunderstood by mny critics. Philip Wicksteed in one of these.

 

firs. Rutherland Orr, ”The Religious Opinions of Robert Browning,“
Contmporaq Review, Decanter, 1891, 86-9. Whether orthodox Chrietian-
ity mactly roots on the antithesis of good and evil might well be
queetioned.

a Robert Browning, "Francis Furini,‘ in Complete Poetic and Dramatic
Works, Riverside edition, 968.

3 Earoline F. E. Spur-goon, "Ihretioism in English Poetry," Ouarterlz

Review, own, (190-7), 47-59.

 

- 1": .I’. . Eli...

He stated that the poet had a system of religion, a theory of the mean-
ing of human life, but no trace of a theory-r of conduct. He felt that
3rowning,symmathized too much with‘vice and evil and with passion of
every ind, that he was too thoroughly convinced that it vms humn. lie
experienced no moral remlsion, no ethical earnestness, and no recent--
ment of social wrong. Browning, in the eyes of h‘ickstoed, was not enough
interested in the rights and'wrongs, the habits and fates of society‘-1

Contrary to Cardinal J ohn anmn, who in his ”Season of Repentance.
expressed the thought that comfortable living on earth condemns us from
heaven, firm—hing in the main accepted the essential goodnms of the m-
terisl world:3 The "old notion of_si.nfulness of the flesh”, as another
critic put it, me not in Brewing. He felt that life was good and
should be lived mliy, Brovming's only condematicn was of the can die
loved the world and its material wealth so much that he never yearned to
progress beyond it. Such a character was represented in ”meter my“.
And that Browning personality at length recognized that the beautiful
world, art, and learning are not enough without a desire to go beyond
then to God's lwe.

host of the controversy regarding Browning's moral ethics es prenat-
sd in his poetry turn around his poem ”The Stable and the Bust" which con-
tained the story of the couple who planned an illicit love affair but
never did anything about it. Browning ccndenned the lovers for never

carrying out their plan. This naturally led some people to believe that

 

YPhilip II. Wickstecd, "System of Religion and Theory of Life," Con-
?r. 1. e , «cc e y, "Faith and Morals in Robert Browning," Thourhtfl
(1‘36), 520. '

            

~31-

ho advocated adultery. It cans 0:1 Frances Therese fiuoscll to any that
"social ethics and mundane idealism lay lovr on Droxminn's horizon.”
It caused Iliclzsteed to say tint there was no sound moral indigmtion in
the poet. Other references of just such an unf‘ri endly nature would not
be difficult to find.

mat Bromin; was actually advocating: was that all activity, includ-
ing conventional morality, must be viewed from the standpoint of how it
affected the actor's conduct and what effect it had on his spiritual groi-
th. he felt that "men in his progress mztgrorrs the narrow creeds of
right and wrong end grosses on toward the living God."2

The two critics who sec: to have the greatest insight into this dil-
puterl poem and its socially moral implications were Caroline Fpurgeon
and Vernon L. Harrington and of hose two the latter is the more eocunte.’
3.5133 Spirgeon gives the poem a cozznloletol;r different twist which, elthwgh
inaccurate, does soon to be consistent with the rest of Browning's think-
1113. She says that the lover, in his very capacity for vice, proves his
capability for virtue, and a failing of energy in one implies e corres-
ponding failure of mergy in_the other. This is an attitude that might
well be expeotei of Browning. It does, in fact, remind one of another
Browning chm-eater, namely, the young; priest Capersacchi in "The Ring;
and the Book”. What Miss Spurgoon has here said of the Great-Dike Frdi-

nand might well have been said of him. She is not accurate, however, in

 

IfiFrsnoes Therese Ehzseell, "Browning the Artist in meory end Prectioe,‘
, University of California Chronicle, XXVII, (1925), 89-98.
William F. Revell, ffmming‘e Criticism of Life, 31.
See Remington's discussion ofthe controversy regtrding "The Statue
and the Bust" in Chapter II, pp. 14-5 of this paper.

 

u??-

"“110

9.313131%: this intor'hrotatioi 4:0 tho lavc‘s in .. .. E’sa‘mo 0.1171 {7‘19 Punt,“
for, rather khan seeing virtue 1n'their :filotorineos, homing is blam-
in; than for their lack of effort. 35135 anrgocn has failed to take
into account the few lines near the on} of the poem whoro, as V. L. Ear-
rington has potntoi out, Browning; says.

I hear you rozn'ooch, ”Rut aelay was best

For the ad was a crime.” --- Ch a crime will do

As well, I reply, to serve for a test,

M o. virtue golden through and through.
mcop’t for those tow lines, the motives which Vic: prrgoon has attributed
to Browning might correctly be attributed to him. Those for! 111108, how-
over, would make it "a? that Browning is here concerned only with tho
dwolomm of" the soul. Evil, to him, mistod only for the dwolopncrb
of good in us, for goodness alone would defeat its own and and paralyu
9.11 moral effort. So Browning's answer- to those $5110 at tho (:1an of
evil might well havo been that it is a blessing in disguloo. Ito pun)”.
1! to aid the soul's growth and he close: his poem still in thirfnno
of mind:

Though the and in night was a. vice, I say,

You of the virtue «no
How strive you?

Choptor IX

CUBICLUSION

To tho quootton of Brming'o Christianity om! tho orthodoxy of that
Chriotionity I mold roplyo ho no by oil moono o Chriotlon but I would
ogroo with Holon Arohibold Clorko thot ho no not o otriotly orthodox
Chriotion. Tho oootion of thio poor on Ion. immuty. no morol
othioo oro tho potato on which I not thot oonolooion. Rio «photo on
loro ond hio honor is immortality. olthough 1n thmoolvoo ducting o
Chriotion. oro 1n Brming'o ouo odgod too mob otth hio than of poo;-
rooo to bo port of on orthodox Chriotton'o haw. {rho «no ototooollt
my to node of 1m thoory or bohovior. Browning n11- ohm-t of orthodoxy
... ho to on mtt-dognotioto

No ooo thio dudlty in Brming'o tram-lb of Ion. Ho “door! on
to oultlvoto Ion thot 1t night booaoo o "mica-oh; polo:- in tho” lino.
Thio vordfoultivotof' indtootoo that Ion. to hit. to “nothing to bo
dorolopod. It no o. prt at hio on-oobrocug timer: or progrooo. Ho do-
ughtod to tho an of oituotion thot tootoo nu‘o ooulo. thot ooh up
difficultioo om! ohotooloo boron um. And In. on amply m oftho
mono ho odvoootod for oolvtng or mooning thooo utilwltloo ad, ot
tho oomo tho. it oddod to thou ooulo' ototnro.

rot hoboliovod doo in Chrlot oo wotiool nod to o monitoototion of
divine love. In hio lotu- yooro portioulorly ho loud mo on hio bo-
llof in Chriot'o lo" M unpllflod by tho poooion of tho om” Rothor
thou oooopting tho ouotoro God of tho 0‘14 Toot-nut. Browning oooop’col
lnotood tho Motion God or lovo ond goodnooo. Mm ho ooid. ”God, than

«B4-

ort ion! I build my foith on that!“ ho could nly hovo hod in mind
tho doity of tho How i'ootonmt.

Bio thoory of Why. ohowing thio om duolity. hoo boonoo
thoroughly oioonoood in Choptor V that it mid ho ropotitiooo horo, Hro.
Orr hoo ooid thot Btooflng'o 'hoovm" no not o ran-rd for tho good. It
oxoludod no mo bot no oimply o contimotion of nn'o 11:. to ho hot!
livod it on oath. It woo uothor otop in hio dorolopoont out! tho poot'o
rooooh for honoring in inortolity oi m no thot hio notoro no too
vivid to obit tho thought of onuhilotiom

What In. Orr hoo ooid oomot ho ”futon but oho hoo a tho othor
bond not national tho oopoot of divino loo'ojhioh, oopooiol]: ohm ho
no older. «Iona hio thou-y of inch-111:7. 8ho hoo not tokoo into
ooooont hio poo: “motor M“ which oonohdoo mm tho thought that ocoy
io infinito booouoo God, it Chriot. 117d. loud, Ind did f. In.

On tho booio of oridmo proooubol by tho ohorootoro in Brouing'o
pom, u:- bdut a imity to both curs-em an wognooivo. It
1- ohorootoriool by divino 1m and by o opirit of indoor-at a. oo
hoo boon ototod in Choptor V, ooooidoring hio lito on; ufitingo oo o oholo.
tho latte influmo oo-oo to to tho ottj'ongor of tho two.

Hio oodo at bohwior no Chriotion. Ho did not nomad odultory
or my othor pottorn of oondnot which tho Chriotion tonoto and-n. Ho
rooopiood odnltu'y oo o oi: ond oollod it by thot mono. But ho also
oomdomod un'o oooririoo to prudontm oonoidorotiono if it involvod o
otonding-otin or o rogroooion of thot non'o oonl. Ho folt thot it no
bottor to oin ond loom thou to obotoin tron oooiony moooptod bdxovior

.85.

and otogmto oo o oonooquonco. All bohorior mot lad to tho ooul'o growth
ond, in thio connootim, for o oomploto world thoro no requirod our:
form of moral uiotonoo - inoluding both good and nil.

Browning than. io Christin but not o dogmatic or orthodox Chriotiono
Bio mind nora- ooooptod my emploto body of roligiouo dogno.

Contact-hing tho wholo of Robort Broming'o roligico: wo can only u:
what hoo boa ooid beforo. ond Arthur Symo in hio Introduction to tho
Study of Bro-:13 hoo ototod tho wholo of it in vory moioo tom.

Lifo oxioto for ooch of bio ohorootoro oo omplotoly ond ooporoto-
1y to if ho voro tho only inhobitont of our plonot. In tho rolls-
imo oonoo thio io tho fornilior Christin vino; but Brming.
whilo oocopting. dooo not oonfino himoli' to. tho roligimo oonooo
Ho conceit" or ”oooh mu oo ploood on tho oorth with a purpooo of
probation. Lii‘o io givon him oo o toot of hio quality; ho io ox-
poood to tho ohonooo ond chongoo of oxiotonoo. to tho oppooitim
and ontonglnmt of circumtonooo, to oril. to doubt. to tho in-
fluonoo of hio follow-ma, said to tho conflicting poooro of hio
on cool, ond ho oucooodo or foilo, toward God, or oo rogurdo hio
rool ond and oim, According oo ho io troo or foloo to hio bottc
mturo, hio oonooption of right. Ho to not to ho Judgod by tho
vulgar otandordo oi‘ worldly ouooooo or unouooooop not oron by hio
octiono, good or bod oo thoy my ow to no. for motion con norr
fully tronoloto tho thought or notivo thich loy ot ito root; ouc-
cooo or unououo; tho who and final not in lito, lioo bottom
hio ooul ond God. l'ho pools. in Bro-ning'o vioo of him, io God'o
witnuo. ond mot ooo and oponk for God. Ho mot thaoloro om-
coin of oooh individnol ooporotoly ond diofinotivoly, ond ho
mot ooo how noh ooul cooooivoo of itoolto

Tho dovolopcxt of tho owl, oo con ho ooon tron tho ohoro quotation, to
tho main ond of uiotonoo.’ Tho otrooo or lito io ammo-am to ito growth
ond io thorotoro d-iroblo. Dorolopmout one! growth noon o olooor union
with God, for non in thio growth ohmld toad ooo; frm notoro Ind noorc
God and hio con godliko qoolitiooo

1 mmrsmm. An Introduction to on. Study of Bro-nos, 3-4.

.96-

That Breathing, in addition to influencing hio on time. no also in-
fluencod by it my to ooon in hio writing. Ho proforrod, for inotanoo.
tho Church of tho manta“ to Cotholicim and to Rotiomliom. fill in-
toroot in theoo throo hodio'o or roligiouo oreod ohm hio regu'd for nine-
toenth century form of Chriotionity. His trmoondontol naturo. oloo
indicative of tho ninotoodth oontury, io ohown in hio ontoltotion of intui-
tion over knowledge. Ho neither roared nor ignored ooienoo ond ito impli-
cation”. Ho no hot troubled that doubt ot timoo dioturhod hio faith,
for that, he felt, no inoritoblo. He no, in ohort. of and for tho nino—
touth century.

Thopoon ”Rabbi Ben an” in hourly o m1: revolution of Browning'o
religion. Thoro is no dogma in the poem --- nothing diotinctivo of either
tho J wish or tho Christin: foith. Tho pom io canplotoly Robtt Bro-n-
ing. It includoo oll tho pointo mentioned obovo. A for' of than oro, for
intonoo, tho oonooption of immortality u o further stop in lifo. o oom-
timd odvonoo. Tho Rohbi ma 0. good {1.1 of hith thioh could not but at
tim have been troubled by oomo doubt. Ho weloomod pin and doubt for
they indicatod o himhip to God. Ho proforrod high nine to low oohioro-
moat, and finally, tho wholo pom my ‘bo mod up in tho doctrino of t
uni'roroo divinoly governod. ‘

Theoo may ohornotoro of Brming'o pom, through than he oo frooly
expressed hiothoughto. have onblod tho-o of hio timo and of our on to
know him well. In odditioh to Bobbi Ben are, there ero othor arming
ohorootoro who deliver I omploto oornon for the poet. i'horo ore oven
more uho open): of oortoin oopooto or hio roligiouo crood. Porhopo tho ro-
ligion of no other poet ha been noun through the nodiun of hio ohorootoro
to roll to to know Robot-t Browning“.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aluandor, William John, Introduction to tho Poetry of Robert Browning,
Boston, Gim: and 00., fi“

Allioon, W. 1'. “Browning as a Religious Teacher," Canadian ifonthli,
xxxx (19073, 235-9 ’

Armstrong, A. Joooph, “Broming Intorooto,“ mllotin of Ba lor Univoraity,
Waco, Toxao, Baylor Univoroity Prooo, 1‘30. 3, WET {1153;}, E4 W
Anon, Stockton, Browning: His Time Hio Art, His Philoso v, in Tho

Rico Inotitute p , our on, on, , ) 145-99
(Hot availablo)

 

 

     

Bailey, R. 8., ”Thoso Barrotto of Wimpolo Strut," '_r_hoatro Honthlx, LIII
(1931), 19-20 or no value romrding this paper

Baynoo, Dorothy Julia, Andromeda in Wimpolo Street tho Romanco of misa-
beth Browning, Box .or , on a: o., no value ro-
gardingThio paper

     

Bordoe, Edward, Browning and tho Christian Faith, London, G. Allon, 1899
(Not availabIoT

m, Brownin 'o Heaoago to Rio Ting, London, 3. Sonnonachzm 8: Co.,
1897 {Hot- avaiIaElo)

-m, The Browning Cyclopaodia, 4th odition, Now York, mcmillan Co...
1902 Uooml only in that it contoino a rooumo of oach poem

Berger, Pierre. (trano1atod by), La Saioiaz Robert Brownino'o Confirma-
tion of hio Boliof in Immortality, VTfi, Waco,1aylor finivoroity,16
Wot enlhmor

 

Bonner, G. H. ”Robort Browning,“ yinotoonth Contuq, me (1924), 219-87

Bowor, John W. and Brooks, John I... Tho Victorian Ago, Now York, Grotto
and 00., 1938 Excollont; pertinent to thio subject; introduction
vory valuablo

Brandoo, Goorgo 1!. 0., Naturalism in En laud, V01. IV of Main Curronto
in Ninotoenth Cmtu Iitoraturo 3 volunoo, Now York, Eon! and

   

vorg , nc., aua o

Browning, Robert, Comploto Poetic and Dramatic Worko, Rivoroido odition,

New York, Bong-Eton mfilin arfclwéo" 1893 Thio rolumo of Broming'o
work uood alnoot ootoluoivoly

 

-33-

Browning, Robert, Com loto Works, 12 vols. Hoot York, Thomas Y. Crowell
and Co., 1898 {Hot uooTaTall)

W, Poem, London, Oxford University Prooo, 1912

«m, The Rin and the Book, London, Ckford University Preoc, 1912
(Includoo an Introdhc‘tionjv Edward Dowdcn)

Browning, Robert and Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, The Lottera of Robert
Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Brewing, edited by their con,
Ebert ti. Browning, ‘8 vols" Iondon,Tmith Elder and Co., 1899
(or no value regarding thio paper)

Burdott, Cohort, The Browning, Bow York, Honghton Idif'flin and Co., 1929
(Rot available)

 

Cary, Elizabeth Luther, Browning Poet and Thu, New York, G. P. Putnam'-
Sons, 1899 (Hot amilhbToI

Chamberlain, H. 8., The Foundatione of the Nineteenth Contuq, 2 vols"
London, 1911

 

Chancellor, Eruf’ord 3., "Browning in London,” LivingL Am, CCJEXIII
(1912), 755-7

 

Chapman, E. $1., Eaglioh Literature and Religion: 1800-1999, London, 1910
(Hot availahfo)

Gingham-John Jay, meroon and Other 3358193, New York, Charles Scribnor'o
Sons, 1898, 1852213

Cheoterton, Gilbert Keith, Egbert Browning, Londm, rhmillan Co., Ltd"
1936

 

- -2, Victorian Age in Literature, New York, H. Holt and Co., 1915
(Valuable; historical and critical?

Church, Richard William, Bordello Dante and Other Relay}, flow York. Moc-
nillan and Co., 1906, 221-35 1301: availablfl __

m, The Oxford Movement, London: lbwillan end Co., 1922

Clarke, Helen Archibald, Browning and His Centuxy, New York, Donblday,
Page and Co., 1912 (Very valuable)

Clarke, James Freeman, Bronte and Bpooho in Religiouo Hiotory, New York,
Houghton Mifflin arfl Co., 1531

College Sum? of English Literaturo, New York, Harcourt, Brace and Co.,
’ o . u -

 

~89-

Colvin, Sir Sidney, "Sane Personal Recollections,” Scribnor'o Monthly,
130711 (1920), 77-80 (Of no value regarding this paper)

Compton-Rickett, Arthur, Robert Browning: Runniot, New York, Dial
Prooo, 1925 (Not available)" __

 

Cooke, George Willie, A Guidebook to the Poetic and Dramtic Work: of
Robert Broming, lieu York, ifoughton Li’ifflin anfCo" 1801

 

Cantu , London, inmillan and Co., 101 , part 1, chap. 11-17 {Rot
avaifirélo)

Coreon, fiiram, An Introduction to the Stucbr of Robert Brozminjfs Poetry,
Boston, D. C. Heath and Co., 1515 By no means the boot of the ' fl
Browning handbooks)

Cornish, Francis Warro, A History of the Mgliah Church in the Nineteenth

 

Courthope, I?.’illiam J 02m, Liberal bite-rodent in English Literature, 1835
(Rot available)

Curlo, Richard, od., Robert Brominggand Julia Wedgwood, New York,
Frederick A. Stookeo Co., 1937 (Cir no value regarding thio paper: a
group of lottere between Browning and Miss Wedgwood revealing their
broken friendship; edited by R. Curle)

Curry, Samuel Silao, Browning and the Dramtio lionolcguo, Boston, mpreo-
lion and Co., 190? ‘

Berries, Ester Phoebe, A Browning Primer, New York, hhcmillan and Co.,
1893

De’fane, William Clyde, A Browning; Handbook, New York, F. S. Crofts and
Co., 1935 (By far the most valuable present-day scholarship on
Browning; oopocially valuable no a bibliographical oource)

-........, Bromfi 's Parlgyinge, the Autobiography of a Mind, How Haven,
Yale University, Press, 1927

um, You Browning; Letters, How Haven, Yale University Library Gazette,
v11,"32r:41

Dowdon, Edward, Studies in Literature, London, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubnor,
md 00" Ltdo. Igugg 11:31. 151.239

m. Transcripto and Studies, title page missing (Gives valuable account

of nfnetomth cmtury background)

Duck-worth, Francis R. 6., Browning: Backflrwnd ancLQonflict, New York,
a. P. Bitten and Co., WTIWavanebIe)

Dinsamy, “Browning is Blougrnn," Nineteenth Century, EXXXH (1946),
175-7 (Deals with the nineteenth omturyls andfizrming'e faith)

Ehrsam, Theodore G. and Daily, Robert 3., Biblio raphy oL'Pwelve Vic-
torian Authors, New York, H. W. Wilson Co., $1.533 (Includes Elzen
Seth 5. Framing but not Robert Browning)

Elliott—Rims, Leonard 8., Reli ion in the Victorian Ere, London, The
Luttorworth Press, 1036, chap. 5-7 (Not—availohle)

Goose, itimnd, Robert Browning; Personalia, ”Flew York, Houghton Iiifflin
and COO' 1856

 

Gribble, Francis, ”Browning's Obscurity and His Elopanent with 1{ins Ber-
rett,“ Kineteenth Century, LXXI (1921), 976-88 (0! £0. value regard-
ing this paper) w W

 

Griffin, William Hell and Hinchin, H. C. , Life of Robert Browning, Lon-
don, Methuen and Co., Ltd., 1938 ‘

Harrington, Vernon C., Brownin~ Studies, Boston, The Gorham Press, 1915
(The author is effus re u as e rom.that the book contains much
in’ormation pertinent to Robert Brming's religion on shown in his
characters)

Herr-old, Charles F. and Templemen, William 0., Ehrlich Prose of the
Victorian Era, New York Oxford University Fess, 1935, XIII-13.3
(ficellent Introduction)

Havens, Raymond D. , "Blake and Browning," .‘iodern Langmge Notes, XII.
(1926), 464-56 (Blot available)

Haweis, Hugh R., Poets in the Pul it, London, Sampson, Low, liereton,
Seerle, end Rivington, I 889

Hickey, Enily, ”Browning BiOgrsphy,” fiineteenth Centnjz, UN!!! (1910),
1060-75

«mm, "Glorious Robert Browning," Nineteenth Century, LIX (1911), 753-
70 (Both this end the previous srticleby Else Hickey are mil of
praise but contain no real intonation)

 

Rillis, Nowell Dwight, Great Books as Life Teachers, Chicago, Fleming H.
Revell and Co., 1895, 181—4‘07 (Mention? only fiming's Haul")

Hodell, Charles W., Zhe Old Yellow Book Source of Broeni 'e "The Hi
and the Book,” Waehlngton, 5. 5., Carnegie Institution 0? W. shing-
ton, 1MB

 

 

 

-91-

Hood, Thurman Lesson, ”Browning and Lady Aahburton,” Yale Review, XXII,
no. (1932), 152-168 (0! no value regarding this piper)

Hopkins, F. 215., "Noteworthy Discovery: Twenty-four A. L. S. of Robert
and misabeth Barrett Brming Written Soon after Their mange."
Publishers Weekli, CKX‘HI (1935), 1534-6

 

Hovelegue, H. In, IaJeumsse do Browning, Paris, Les Presses Modern“,
(Not available)'

 

Rows 3‘. A. De‘Nolfe, "Victorian Poets," Atlantic. CLII (1935), 224-?
(Ch tty; or no value regarding this paper) .

Inge, William R., Christian mysticism, New York, Charles Soribner'e Sm
(Not available; pp. 250-2 referred to es pertaining to this subject)

 

m’ fidhd‘lfi“ REG, Cmbl'ldge, Unlvonity Pros" 1922

James, Henry, firming as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher, 2nd ed...
Glasgow, 1852. (be‘fane points “to thislcolc es en entample oflater
generations having found Browning's reasoning lees valid than the
poet's own gemretim eoppos ed; in State Library)

in Raisins; Robert Browning‘s Confirsgtion of his Belief in Imortelijl,
TIIIifi’eoo, Baylor llniversity, 26—08% availible) w

Ledd, Henry Andrews, Victorian Morality of Art, New York, R. Long and
A. R. Smith, 1932 (Concerns only Ruskin; of no value here)

Leslie, Shane, The Oxford Movement, Minutes, Bruce Publishing Co., 1933
(very good re?erenoe;1es1ie obviously familier with his subject:
chapter v, ”Oxford Movement in Literature” especially ueei‘ul as back-
ground material)

 

Lieberman, J. 8.,“Robert Browning and Hebraiem," Jerusalem (Hot available)

Litell, P. ”Outinism of Robert Browning,” Ree Republic, II (1915), 330
(This particular volume of W not efiifiblc)

 

Lockwood, Frank Cunndns, Modern Poets and Christian “reaching; Robert
Browning, New York, Eaton “Heine, 1906 Wis author does not seas
to'heve bed: a very thorough scholars book should be read with cautim.

Lovett, Robert Morse, "Foot in His Letters,” New Republic,‘mv (1933),
266-7 (01’ no value here) “

 

McCarthy, Desmond, "Banshee; Review of 'i'he Brmmings,’ by O. Burdett,“
Saturday Review of Literature, V (1928), 657-8

‘chormick, Janos Patton, ”Robert Browning's Reputation in the Nineteenth
Cmtury in England and America,” Sumriee of Doctoral Dissertations,
Eranston, Eforthweetorn tniversity Woes, 7, 15-4

T'YcCrie, George, Religion of Our Literature, London, 1875

 

Tlcfiejlan, Anna, Florence in the Poetry of the Browning-Le, Chicago, A. C.
Ichlung and-70.719011 (or no value regarding this topic)

Macy, J. "Robert Browning; I-ionOIOgist,“ Bookman, JEXIII (1951), 89-47

L'arkun, Leo, ‘Ers. Grundy, Nee Kerk, D. Appleton, 1930

 

Hontnorency, J. E. G. de, "Robert Browning,” Contmporary ileview, LCIIX
(1931), 662-6 W'

 

floors, '1‘. Sturge, "‘Iichael Field and Robert firming-j; Excerpts from
Letters, Journals, etc.," Boobmn, LICXIV (1032 , (325-33 (01‘ little
value)

Hoff, 311011;, Farlvle and $53.11, 2nd ed. rev" New York, Columbia Univer-
sity Press, 15353 (Includes an introduction to Victorian thought)

Rattleship, John Trivett, "Robert Browning," ksaye and Thmghts, London,
E. Ihtthowa, 1890 "r

Hermann, John H., Tract Nin r, London, Constable and Co., Ltd., 1933
(Historical cameo y . W. Evans good: material as a mi. detailed
and us eful only as backgrmnd material)

Orr, Iglre. Sutherland, A Handbook to the Words of Browning, London, 1919
(Like V. C. Harrington sometimes emifveg on the ifiole a useful
reference)

Mayra and Letters of Robert Browning, London, with, maer, and Co.,
891

-...., ”The Religious Opinions of Robert Browning,” Contemporary Review,

DC (1891), 86-9 (Do-Tana says: Able and interoiting but not flee from
her own bias. Useful reference)

 

Peake, Leslie 3., "Browning and God in Ramiro," Saturday Review of Liter-
ature, CLIII, 293-316 (In State Library) ’

Phelps, l’iillian Lyon, Browning, Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1916

-----, ”Browning and Two Popes,” :Yale Review, xx no. (1930), 151-6

 

.......-, “Robert Browning and Alfred Austin,” Yale Review, VII no. (19180,,
580-91

 

Phelps, William Lyon, ”Robert Browning as Seen by His Son," Century,
Door: (1913), 417-20

“-m, Robert Browning: Row to Know Him, Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill

M

Co.,‘ 1315 (ifotlling on arovming‘o religion but good reading)

W, ”Robert Browning on Spiritualism,” Yale Review, XXIII, 125-38
(Relates an incident between Browning and an American Spiritualist)

 

Pigou, Arthur Cecil, The Religious Opinions of Robert Browning, C. Je
Clay and Sons, 19017301; available)

 

Porter, Alice Denney, Imsy Lessons in Browning, Cedar Rapids, 1a., Torch
Press, 1925, (Too Hedonism“)

 

Price, Maude A., gretherhood in Browning, Cedar Rapids, Is., Torch Press,
1925 (Not available)

 

Raul, Paul de, 3.3m et la Penseo de Robct BrosninL, Bruxelles, Ehurioe,
1929 W _.

 

Revell, William I-‘., Browning's Criticism of Life, London, Swan, Sermon-
schein and Co., F392 Valuable)w

 

Ritchie, Alma Ioabella, "Robert Browning and misabeth Barrett Browning,“
jecords of Tom-lye on, Ruskin, Browning, New York, Harper and Bros.,
1893, 127-9

 

Rockafellow, Ralph, ”Browninge," Golden Book, XIII (1931), 64-6 (Amwthing
in Golden Book, including this, would be elementary and of no value
regarding this subject)

Russell, Frances Theresa, "Browning the Artist in Theory and Practice,”
gniversitLof California Chronicle, XXVII (1925), 89-98

 

m. One more Word on Browning, California, Stanford University Press,
1927 Wfluable)

Sharp, William, Life of Robert; Browning, London, Walter Scott, 1890

Sim, Frances, Robert Browning, the Poet and the Han, “ow York, U. Apple-
ton ‘nd C09. uh

 

 

Somervell, David Churchill, English Thourht in the Nineteenth Century,
You York, Longnans, Green, and Co., $9729 (“’Talua‘ole; concerns in:
telleotual life in England)

 

Spirgeon, Caroline 1“. 3., "Mysticism in English Poetryk" Quarterl Ravi-
CCVII (1907), 427-59 (A very interesting and profound micle; usa

extensively in this paper)

Stockley, 'fi. 2'. T3,, "Faith and Inforals in Robert Browning,” Thou ht
1926 (Valuable even though prejudiced in favor of Catholics)

Strong, kuguetus Hopkins, gloat Poets and Their Theology, Boston,
Griffith and Rowland l’Fees,"lL19'l, 3734347 (Valuable)

 

Symons, Arthur, An Introduction to the Study of Bramivm, London, J. 1?.
Dent and COQTIDOC

 

a"... "(zone Browning; Rminiscences," :Torth American Retrial?! (fa-Iv (1916),
632-9 (02" no value regarding this paper)

Traill, Henry Diff, Social England, VI, London, Cessell and Co., 12301—4
(Includes religion)

 

Trigge, Oscar I.., Browning: and Ithitman, a Study in Democracy, How York,

AA;

:hcmillan and Co., 15:35 Tnireotly concernsfiSroming'e religion) .

Tulloch, John, Rational Theolog};and Christian Philosc hy_ in gland,
2 vols” London, William fTewchmod and Sons, 1273 bfhie ea s th
l'r’oh century; useful only as background material)

 

"'fictoriam Bibliography for 1332," Egdern Philolog, 1933, 399-434

Walker, Hugh, Literature of the "a’ictorian Era, Cambridge, University
Press, lDZl (IncludEs an es-ztmeive Bibliography)

 

Wann, Louis, "Browning's Theory of Love,” Persogxalist, VI, 23-35 (Valu-
able; used mensively in this mpor)

"Monger, Christian Hat, The Aesthetics of Rohert Broming, Ann Arbor, Mich“
George Wehr, 1924 ('faluelfle; relates Brownim‘s views on the aesthe-
tics of art to his religious philosophy; review by Murray '51. Bundy in
J . E. G. Phi}J X37, 259-60, speaks unfavorably of the book)

 

Wicksteed, Philip 5., "Systmn of Religion and Theory of Life," ContemEcr-
ary Review, Lmzxn (1903), 86-99 (Valuable refermoe)

 

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