porphyria's lover
- Created by: valentina__calcagni
- Created on: 13-10-21 11:27
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- Porphyria's Lover
- AO3
- Browning is believed to be an atheist, despite keeping his religious views ambiguous
- His poems often explored the problems of faith - dramatic monologue allowed exploration through different roles
- Victorian society - industrial revolution - dense populations, poverty, violence and sex being part of everyday life
- People couldn't act in total anonymity - no fear of judgment in rural society
- Poem published in 'Mad House Cells' - Porphyria's an illness which makes your skin v pale and induces severe panic attacks, insomnia and hallucinations
- link to Browning's focus on psychology in his writing
- Oppression of Women and capitalist class system
- Browning is believed to be an atheist, despite keeping his religious views ambiguous
- AO4
- SETTING
- remote setting - winds turbulent and vexing nearby lake - reflecting inner turmoil and psychotic nature
- LINKS TO JUSTICE: remote setting allows him to stay hidden, never to be discovered - women left in the cold controlling hands of men (social commentary)
- unsettling from the start
- remote setting - winds turbulent and vexing nearby lake - reflecting inner turmoil and psychotic nature
- CRIMINAL PSYCHE
- Browning's characters don't fear or expect punishment not exhibit any regret - disturbing insight into darker side of human psyche with no moral framework (Darwin theory)
- Justifies his act - victim felt 'no pain' + death was a result of her 'adoring wish' to be with him forever -
- psychotic inability to emotionally engage and a desire to justify his actions
- MURDER AND VIOLENCE
- story centres on violence - strangulation means she is now eternally his female prisoner
- violence explicitly described, the lover calmly explains - criminal psyche
- SETTING
- A04
- PUNISHMENT
- no sense of punishment or moral resolution - speaker seems to feel aloof to sin as 'God has not said a word' - unsettling
- VICTIMS
- Browning uses first person narrators who are murders and speak with impunity, little sympathy for victims given by speakers
- 'no pain' - eerily detached voice makes this an unconvincing assertion
- sympathy is awarded to Porphyria's despite narrator - she is shown to be warm and loving, trusting her lover as she places her rosy little head on his soldier
- Browning uses first person narrators who are murders and speak with impunity, little sympathy for victims given by speakers
- PUNISHMENT
- AO5
- Victims of Porphyria's disease suffer a horrible death, thus Porphyria's lover committed the highest act of love; he set his lover free from a grisly death.
- justification? awareness of his sins clear - conflict between immoral side morality
- justifications run throughout the poem
- justification? awareness of his sins clear - conflict between immoral side morality
- Victims of Porphyria's disease suffer a horrible death, thus Porphyria's lover committed the highest act of love; he set his lover free from a grisly death.
- AO3
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