New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-13

~ SHINING 10 IngnOIH,
1--we, .oT nj Pisa for six months Inc new tPe
seis'' ,he new life the new climate, cahe1 .he
sufferer back from the gaze, Oh 49, tocether in
Rrownjngs spent fifteen brlght y,nrs o,ie and in
nay aH, ~ They were singularly alike III thelr
.est Of mind and although they sIlnuiih oS been
o,ber's literary activity, the 9uesaaion WINS of
,aiSed lust how far the mutual luuu ;,nor Tho
nsanoS, 20 the poetcal faculty in ei'ner. ;.hin
%cst ncriod of Mrs Brownings ne lies Will WILL
Tho ten years after marriage, whlcn trom the
casa Guidi Windows. the Sohho.s 10 lived
pos,ncnosep and Aurora Leigh hut sne ~
- copy great deal Of her husbands rous"IIiI cr
md contempt for the art Of expression ,or,,or.
owe poetry assumed more conIagI nrbanS more
md that Of Mr.. Browning becahe - rn exaited
PASSIONATE, more spontaneous anu M ii,rs Of love
provninp'S estimate, however OF I'M i,,.o,-s ov
* the arbiter of life and conduct wa oorotcd nv
.e.sive and il certainly was no, eN .I ;nSnired
nc beautiful devotion to the vic "'' r1non The
W. - bis nohlest and pureSt lines UPON III
hole il seems 10 us that whatever iauits m"'Ur"m
md wife may have learned rom v', -, ich enrano
Tar outhalanced by other lh"u'"'''
from this memorable union. ,,,. ,.o,r,,e dur.
pou.ning published only one new NoluIue uuI s
inc his residence in Italy. " ChrlSlnl's rNG aud
Faster Day. 1850, two dls'inct P' 49, aT,or
together. show him in sLFc"i%r'' Which he con
W aIu Wy richest problems OF revelation ana
snoo,ic;sr, debates the questions WIN seaIYnins
bp,lOtT and leaves the reader IN some GQupV Do
80 his own opinions although III tne I.eii S;o W
10 hIS ho"nent publications il should not he ann
ms Siscern even here his rejection of dogmatlc
roLsion and his belief in Christanity as u rcNcIo
.;n 20 The individual soul IN q bacohN,
non ~ in 1883 and published in his Men ana
Wnmenp II $3.50. was dramatic fragment which
has been esteemed one OF the nneSt OF ms
n" ao,ionaJ poems II is study of the passion
~ love as illustrated in its action upon three
d;serent natures, the crOss-currents OF influence
bringing about dramatic SITUATION OF lhUe ny
mower. with which the fragment closes. lhc
,rue note of BrOwnng's dramatic gnu Is mere
,ecoonized very distinctly. No poet proDaplN sur
masses him in the art of getting INSIDE charncVFI
~ his own imagination, and tracing with minute
sncnracv the course of such a mind under the
impulse either Of its own laws of development OF
The stress of external circumstances. rev nave
pxceled him in the ingenuity wmch deNiSes tnT
most startling situations from thesc lhteilcoiuo'
snrinps of action. But in tracing the Operations
~ Tho soul the rise and conflict OF motives, thc
,asuistrcs of conscience, the doublngs ana tWIs'
ncs of an over-active reason, he becomes lhNoNcu
70 the point of obScurlty and dliiuSe 10 WEAKNESS
Evcrv detail OF the inward process must DC SET
forth with exhaustive fulneSs. ms methou IL
tbe reverse of the dramatic, which constructs the
tory upon broad lines of action, ana eNmDlls
motive as il controls events rather than as the tst
- ;ndividual character Browning is not, there
fnrc strictly speaking a dramatist, although most
of his writings are placed III the category OF uta-
matte poems The form which ne prelerITS;u was
The monologue in which the chosen actor dlScloScs
Us mon ght his character, his motives, IN address
ing some voiceless and hypothcIcal peisonSEc;
IN soIloauy the actor talks frankly 10 IlHlseIl Oh
artfllly TO others Of things as ne woulu ndve
IN IN appear, and so betrays himself by lndirec-
lion hls was BrOwnlpgs method-dramajlc in,
ssmuch as 10 sought TO rcalIe the WorNngs VI
ina oinsrv character, rather than express sublec-
five emotion but not dramatic In the deylccS
NV which operations are brought TO the knowledge
" We have said that Browning published only
one new volume during his residence in Italy. lie
Iut forth, however in 500, his Men ana
Women largely composed Of reprinted pieces
4 ole -
" The Statue and the Bust Old Pictures IN fIOr-
cnce7 "Masten Hughes of SaXc-Gotha, FRA
Lippo Lipr.7 Andrea del Sarto,' and Bishop
Blougrani's Apology the parsonage represented
In the last-namcd Satirical and oVer-argumentanXe
picce is well-known to be Cardinal Wlseman. In
this collection the scope of his power was wei
illustrated. As the title indicates his nam SUB
feet was almost always study of the human soul;
that alone seemed to him worthy OF the poets re-
card and for narrative and descriptive poetry as
VII aS ~ true Poetic Interpretation OF nature ne
showed a contemptuous indifference Neither did
he care much for the simple and ordinary emotions
treated with such charm of truth ana rehhenGnt
In the lyrics of his contemporary, IcnnNsom lie
vas prominently the poet of love, but love IN
his philosol.NX was something quite unhke the
GENTLE impulse of standard poetry: II was the rule
IF life and the master force in the development
If the soul: and if his principles had not been
wrapped up in the obScurites of his manner poo
pie would have discovered in his assertion OF the
rights OF passion doctrine iapie ITO 10
highly inconvenient consequences. In Inc
statue and the Bust his views are stated WIN
nurc planness in some other pieces II is not
lear whether he speaks in his own person or III
that Of an imaginary character. The relation OF
irt TO life and character-a theme which rcappcars
many times in his mature works. treated WIZ .I
special felicity in Men and Women and the
religion and philosophical speculatlonS, Tor Whlch
Is he advanced in years he showed an increasing
ondnesS. are sufficiently and not lnordlnaa'etN
His " Dramatis PerSonae' !io14J;
written, we believe, in Italy, but not pupHshed
mill after the authors return TO England, con
ains more diSQuisitiOn and much less poetry. IN
H., u, IL & RpoUplnO'S
the most ENJOYABLE the most artistlcally hnlshed'
and the most beautifully varied, although ms
mrnest disciples do not give 1t the hrst pace i'll
their regard $500
Mrs. browning died in Florence in 1851, and
her husband soon afterward returned TO London
He was already, of course celebrity III the
and for the rest OF ms ne ne m"I
society His intellectual gifts were
supplemented by the accomplishments OF Scholar
cOnnOis>cur, and a man OF the world ana
during the period when he was taAlng ms reaoers
with his most reconcile poetry, he was fascinating
irawing-rooms and dinner-tabcS with his VlVac- |
ty and good nature.
The Ring and the Book which appeared in |
1869 is esteemed by the inner circle OF enthu-
siasts his greatest work. IL is certainly the !
amplest exhibition of his characterlSucs ana the /
ripest specimen of his style, ana III contains
passages which in some important particulars
transcend all other poetry Of our Tune At tlP
outset, however we are aiironted by one OF
l}tOwnings faults, which is here carried 10 an
almost Unprecedented length. He is addicted to
COMMISSION of STYLE which. with its manned
sentences, eNacts of the reader IA slcepleSS and
ainful attention if he would not lose himself
midst elisions and dashcs; but with this parS-
nony Of phrase he combines an lnordnatc pro-
kitty Of narrative and reflection. The Ring
md the Book is a true story of the murder of
IN innocent wife. Pomplia accused by her brutal
lusband Count Guido, of adultery with the
anon Capon>acchi. Mr.. Browning found the
ale in book, partly print, partly manuscript,
which he picked up at Florentine ok-stali
md the poem is an elaboration of the details
obtained In this square old, yellow, vellum-colored
contemporary volume and in an old pamphlet
which by singular chance he discovered after
"aru IN London. Narrative however, IS interest
hg 10 Nr. browning only aS il bears upon the
STUDY OF character, and while he keeps close
70 crude fact in setting forth the particulars
81 me tragedy his real subject is a psychological
!naNSs OF the striking group of pcrsOnages who
igure IN 1t. HIS method Of accomplishing this
ubtle demonstration is one for which we can
ecaI no parallel IN poetry. He tells the story
AZ IL I