Robert Browning's Poetry

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  • Created by: Lotty_A
  • Created on: 14-05-15 12:39
What main theme is explore through the suicides of three fictional men in 'Apparent Failure'?
The Philosophy of the Imperfect - the idea that striving towards something which you know is unattainable is just as valuable as achieving a more reachable and less impressive goal.
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In 'The Grammarian's Funeral', who is speaking and what are they doing?
They are a group of students of the Grammarian who has died, and are carrying his body to the top of a mountain to be buried whilst praising his devotion to scholarship through their posthumous encomium.
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What event has happened before the speaker begins talking in 'A Woman's Last Word'?
The female speaker has had an argument with her husband and is now trying to resolve their issues ("Let's contend no more, Love").
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How does Browning accuse the Roman Catholic Church of hypocrisy in 'A Bishops Orders His Tomb At St Praxed's Church'?
The speaker, a Catholic Bishop, is not the archetypal man of faith one may envision. He is blasphemous, materialistic, greedy, vindictive, has children ("sons mine"), owns a villa, and has stolen from his church ("if aught were missed")
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What other accusations does Browning make of Roman Catholicism in 'The Bishop Orders His Tomb At St Praxed's Church'?
Being too sensual, putting more emphasis on aesthetic beauty than on faith and devotion, lack of belief in God, not being holy enough, and confusing their most important duties.
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What form is 'Two in the Campagna' written in?
Dramatic monologue
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In 'Two in the Campagna', what does the regular rhyme scheme, metre and verse structure suggest and how does Browning change it to illustrate his message?
They represent the perfection with which the speaker is attempting to understand complex ideas. The occasionally broken metre represents the limit of human understanding, and suggests that we should just experience rather than understand.
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What themes and ideas does Robert Browning explore in 'Women and Roses'?
Stereotypical views of upper class Victorian women, the nature of perfect love ('without a thorn'), the importance of living in the present and looking to the future, and the way ideas change over time.
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What was Browning's ultimate aim when he wrote 'Women and Roses'?
As an artist he wanted to capture the perfection he saw in women. There are, however, ideas of male possession in the imagery used (pruning of roses = control of women by men)
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What do 'Women and Roses', 'A Woman's Last Word', 'Two in the Campagna', 'Love in a Life', and 'Life in a Love' all have in common?
They explore the idea of perfect love between a man and a woman, and how it is very difficult to attain or understand.
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In 'Pictor Ignotus', how does Browning present the speaker's character?
Jealous ("I could have painted pictures like that youth's"), self-righteous ("at least no merchant traffics in my heart"), religious ("and then not go to Heaven, but linger here") = flawed character
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How are 'Pictor Ignotus' and 'Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister' similar?
Both explore the destructive and unattractive nature of jealousy and malcontent.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

In 'The Grammarian's Funeral', who is speaking and what are they doing?

Back

They are a group of students of the Grammarian who has died, and are carrying his body to the top of a mountain to be buried whilst praising his devotion to scholarship through their posthumous encomium.

Card 3

Front

What event has happened before the speaker begins talking in 'A Woman's Last Word'?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How does Browning accuse the Roman Catholic Church of hypocrisy in 'A Bishops Orders His Tomb At St Praxed's Church'?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What other accusations does Browning make of Roman Catholicism in 'The Bishop Orders His Tomb At St Praxed's Church'?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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