In the 1880s and 1890s, the Victorian poet Robert Browning was the "lion" of the day in the United States, particularly in Rochester. Browning's work was widely read and discussed. Even today, there are still many in America who consider themselves Browningites, and many of them belong to Browning clubs and societies. This book, the fruit of thorough and patient archival digging, brings together various fragmentary local sources and quaint memorabilia, hitherto unknown to scholars. It vividly recovers the spirit of the fascination with Browningmania, and more broadly Victoriana, that Rochesterians and Americans in general evinced in the last two decades of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth century.Browning's popularity, undeserved many thought, remains nonetheless a unique phenomenon in literary and cultural history, well worthy of study and comprehension. Although several books and articles were devoted to this subject, none offers a sustained explanation of how and why Browning became such an iconic figure. This book fills a gap in the scholarship and critical reception of Browning. This study offers Browning scholars and Victorianists in general a new perspective on some long-neglected but crucial material. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars in Reception and American studies as well as cultural and literary historians. Because it brings together many local anecdotes and memorabilia, this book will also find appreciative readers among the general public, especially in upstate New York region, particularly Rochester.

Browning Upon Arabia charts Robert Browning’s early and enduring engagement with the East, particularly the Arab East. This book highlights the complexities of Browning’s poetry, revealing Browning’s resistance to triumphalist and imperialist forms of Orientalism generated by many nineteenth-century British and European literary and scholarly portrayals of the East. Hédi A. Jaouad argues that Browning extensively researched the literature, history, philosophy, and culture of the East to produce poetry that is sensitive to its Eastern resources and devoted to confirming the interrelation of Northern and Eastern knowledge in pursuit of a new form of transcendental humanism.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904 edition. Excerpt: ... II ROBERT BROWNING. a peace out of pain, Then a light, then thy breast. O thou soul of my soul, I shall clasp thee again, And with God be the rest!--Prospice. Fulfilled, December 12, 1889. Oh, the blessed fruition Of peace out of pain! Of a light without darkness, A clasping again! Of a full soul's reunion In Love's endless reign! Sing, O Earth, with new joy At this victory won! For the faith that endured 'Till the setting of sun! For the hope that shone clear Through the mighty work done! For the love that sought God To guide love here begun! Sing, O Earth, with new joy For such victory won! Elizabeth Porter Gould 103 INDEX Page Abell, Edith 66 "Agamemnon La Saissaz and Dramatic Idyls" 44 Alexandria Theological Seminary 28 Alford, Lady Marion 95 Alma-Tadema 67 Anderson, Mary 66 "Anniversary of Mrs. Browning's death" 102 Arcturus 13, 18, 22 Art Museum, Boston 99 Asolo 98 "Asolando" 42, 98 "Athenaeum" 21 "Atlantic Monthly" 93 Aurora Leigh 26, 27, 28, 55 Bacon, Delia 64 Baltimore (Browning Society) 101 Bancroft, George 43 Barrett, Elizabeth 9, 12, 13, 14, 18, 47, 90 Baths of Lucca 82 Bayne, Peter 80 Beach, Mrs. H. H. A 99 105 Page Beecher, Henry Ward 69 "Bells and Pomegranates","34 "Biglow Papers" 82 Blagden, Miss 52, 58, 71, 86 "Blithedale Romance" 65 "Blot on the Scutcheon" 20 Boston, Massachusetts 35, 79, 101 Boston Anti-Slavery Bazar 49 Boyd, Hugh Stuart 15, 17, 19, 24. 26 British Museum 39 "Broadway Journal" 47 Bronson, Mrs. Arthur 42, 71, 98 Bronson, Edith 42 Brooks, Phillips._. 28,78 Browning, Elizabeth Barrett 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 45, 47, 54, 63, 64, 72, 73, 94, 102 Browning, Robert 10, 20, 34, 35, 55, 62, 64, 65, 79" 82, 83, 103 Browning, Robert Barrett 94, 97 Browning, Robert Barrett, Mrs 97, 9s Browning Memorial Service 79, 100...