Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, once more popular than her husband, has been sadly neglected by 20th-century readers. Leighton's book should contribute to the restoration of her critical reputation. Though it affords scant attention to Barrett Browning's passionate concern for socio-political issues and does not offer a fully rounded view of her aspirations and achievements, its readings of individual poems are illuminating and provocative. Further, the fascinating biographical material it provides reveals a great deal about the poet's personal aesthetic. Barrett Browing was long admired only as a model of female virtue, but Leighton's and other feminist studies are rapidly establishing her right to admiration as an important poet. Natalie C. Tyler, English Dept., Ohio State Univ., ColumbusCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.