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Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister Trivia

Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge

Robert Browning was not very well regarded during his life. His wife, the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, was much more famous. In fact, he was often referred to simply as "Mrs. Browning's husband." Ouch! (source).

Robert Browning was strongly influenced as a young man by the life and works of the Romantic-era poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. After having read Shelley's work, the young Browning declared himself a vegetarian and an atheist, in imitation of the earlier poet. (This resolution did not, however, last his whole life) (source).

Robert Browning was well educated, but much of his learning took place in his father's extensive library. His formal education ended when he was 14 (source).