How Do I Love Thee Flashcards
Who was Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
A widely-read English poet during the Victorian period
What significant position did Barrett Browning narrowly lose?
Poet Laureate to Tennyson
What influence did faith have on Barrett Browning’s poetry?
Reflected in religious allusions throughout her work
Who admired Barrett Browning’s poetry in 1844?
Robert Browning
What collection of poems was inspired by Barrett Browning’s relationship with Robert Browning?
Sonnets From the Portuguese
What did Barrett Browning claim about the collection ‘Sonnets From the Portuguese’?
It was a work of translation to keep her intimate feelings private
What does the opening line ‘How do I love thee?’ indicate?
An internal or external questioning of the speaker’s capacity for devotion
What literary device is used in ‘I love thee to the depth and breadth and height’?
Rule of three
What does the use of the word ‘freely’ suggest about the relationship?
A divinely blessed relationship
What does the juxtaposition of the sun and neologism in the poem signify?
The relationship helps the speaker understand an element of her inner being
What does the use of the preterite tense indicate?
A fleeting reality of emotions
What does the archaic personal pronoun imply in the poem?
Appeals to an idealised past typical of the 19th Century Romantic movement
What does the future subjunctive mood illustrate in the poem?
Christian faith enriching the bond by promising perfection after death
What is a euphemism for death mentioned in the poem?
Separation from loved ones
What structural method does the poem loosely adapt?
Petrarchan sonnet
