Aurora Leigh (1856) is an epic poem by English Romantic poet Elizabeth
Barrett Browning. Described by Browning as "a novel in verse," Aurora
Leigh is primarily the story of its titular heroine, an intelligent
woman and ambitious poet whose talent is matched only by her skill for
self-doubt. Although it is narrated in the first person, the poem also
concerns itself with the character Marian Erle, a woman rescued from a
life on the streets by Aurora's cousin Romney, who loves both women in
complex and varying ways. Recognized as one of the most important poems
of the nineteenth century, Aurora Leigh is notable for its use of the
epic form--traditionally masculine, and concerned with subjects such as
war, history, and the gods--in order to tell a story centered on
talented and uniquely independent women.
Born in Florence to a Tuscan mother and English father, and encouraged
from a young age to study the classics and learn Latin and Greek, Aurora
Leigh develops not only the desire to become a famous poet, but the
talent and intelligence to achieve her dream. What she has in ambition
and skill, however, she lacks in confidence, and, after moving to
England as a teenager, Aurora struggles to make a name for herself in
the competitive literary environment of London. While in England, she
meets her cousin Romney Leigh, a dedicated and idealistic social worker
who dreams of using his inheritance and family estate--Leigh Hall--to
alleviate the suffering of the lower classes. Aurora Leigh is a
dramatic tale of romance involving Marian Erle, Lady Waldemar--a
beautiful aristocrat--and Aurora herself. As each of these women
navigates their relationship with Romney, and as Romney tries and fails
to bring meaningful aid to the poor, Aurora finds that her art means
nothing if she cannot learn to love herself as much as she loves others.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Aurora Leigh is a classic
of English literature reimagined for modern readers.
