Last modified on Thu 25 Feb 2021 08.23 EST
âHow do I love thee? Let me count the ways,â asked Elizabeth Barrett Browning in 1850, unwittingly turning herself from one of Britainâs pre-eminent poets into a Valentineâs card fixture. It wasnât just the words, which are still lovely, but the way they tend to be read in conjunction with the story of her clandestine courtship by fellow-poet Robert Browning. In 1846, after a year and a half of epistolary romance and secret meetings, young Browning famously burst into the 40-year-oldâs London sickroom and whisked her to Italy and a new life of sunshine, sex and lyric poetry.
Two Way Mirror by Fiona Sampson review – a fine life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.