1 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Hey, Happy Saturday, everybody. Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning eloped 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: on this day in eighty six, so we thought it 3 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,159 Speaker 1: would be a good time to pull that episode out 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: of the archive. A couple of notes. If we were 5 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: recording this episode today, we'd probably adjust a little bit 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: of the language, both around Elizabeth's chronic illness and disability 7 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: and the theory that her father may have been descended 8 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: from a plantation owner in Jamaica and an enslaved woman. 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: This episode originally came out on February and was at 10 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: the time of Valentine's themed episode. It is from prior 11 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: host Sarah and Bablina, who, as you'll hear, got a 12 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: lot more listener requests for massacres than for love stories. 13 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: As we do yep continues to be true for us. 14 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 15 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 16 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: I'm bling a chalk reboarding and I'm Sarah Dowdy. And 17 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: even though technically this episode will come out the day 18 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: after Valentine's Day, we wanted to celebrate the season of 19 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: love somehow, especially since last year's Valentine's Day massacre podcast 20 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 1: had a couple of listeners thinking we were ant I love. 21 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: We got some critical emails about that one. Yeah, we did. 22 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: People judged us, but that's okay. And I mean recently 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: we've done serial Killers and Boxers and wild West, and 24 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: so we thought, maybe let's go in a different direction 25 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: and get people ready for a marathon Valentine weekend. Maybe. Sure. 26 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: So initially I went through some listener requests to try 27 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: to see if I could find some lovey dovey ideas, 28 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 1: and I had zero luck. I mean, I think our 29 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: listeners are starting to think about along the same lines 30 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: as us. There were a lot of massacres. I mean, 31 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: love is just as nice as massacres. People sometimes nicer, 32 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: sometimes nicer. So we picked a topic on our own, 33 00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: and we settled on talking about one of the most 34 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: amos romances of the nineteenth century, if not of all time. 35 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: It's the romance of Victorian poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert 36 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: Browning and at first, blush poets and love might not 37 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: seem like that much of a stretch. I mean, after all, 38 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: the stereotype is that these guys are sitting around pouring 39 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: out their feelings all day long on paper, anyway, right, 40 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: and love is their job, right, sure, But Robert and 41 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: Elizabeth had truly a unique relationship, complete with forbidden love, 42 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: a tyrannical father, a mysterious and curable illness, clandestine meetings, 43 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: and lots and lots of love letters. So not to 44 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: give too much of the story way already, but hopefully 45 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: that'll be a good teaser for you guys well in 46 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: the story of their courtship truly seems like something worthy 47 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: of a poem or work of fiction, and their relationship 48 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: did actually influence their work in various ways that we 49 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: can still appreciate today. And of course, like many of 50 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: the stories that we tell, there are a few twists 51 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: here that modern research has given us, one of which, 52 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: conveniently enough, since it is February, in addition to being 53 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: Valentine's Day, ties into Black History Month. How about that. 54 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: But before we can dive into the story of the 55 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: romance between these two people, we've got to tell you 56 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: a little bit about what their lives were like before 57 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: they met, Because for both Robert and Elizabeth, you can 58 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: look at their biographies in distinct phases pre courtship and 59 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: then post. Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Barrett on March sixth, 60 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: eighteen oh six, in County Durham, England. She was the 61 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: eldest of eleven children of Edward Moulton Barrett and Mary 62 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: Graham Clark. Her family was fairly well to do, and 63 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: Elizabeth grew up mainly at her parents five acre estate 64 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: in Herefordshire, known somewhat poetically as Hope End. She was 65 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: an active and precocious kid, and maybe even something of 66 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: a tomboy, which I found kind of surprising considering what 67 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: we'll find out about her in her later life. But 68 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: according to an article by Michael Temco in World and I, 69 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: she was quote given to fisticuffs and quote throwing things 70 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: about the house. She sounds like a bit of a terror, 71 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: doesn't she. But she was also really into her study. 72 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: She was a very good student. She learned Greek and 73 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: Latin at an early age. But because she was a girl, 74 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: she didn't get to go off and continue her studies 75 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: at a private school like her brothers did, and the 76 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: fact that she couldn't do that really disappointed her. Unlike 77 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: other privileged girls of this time, Elizabeth did get to 78 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: go further in her education in other ways that even 79 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:32,679 Speaker 1: though she didn't get to go to school. Her parents 80 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: encouraged her to read. Her father gave her full access 81 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: to his library. She took full advantage of that, reading 82 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: both the classics and contemporary literature of the day. She 83 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: especially liked romantic fiction and became a big fan of 84 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: George sand Eventually. Even though Elizabeth's father encouraged her education 85 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: at home this way, though, he was still very controlling 86 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: ran a very strict household. We'll talk about his deal 87 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: a lot more lately, so knowing that it's almost surprising 88 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:07,799 Speaker 1: how much he encouraged his eldest daughter's writing. He arranged 89 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: to have one of her epic poems on the Battle 90 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: of Marathon privately published when she was only fourteen years old. 91 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 1: He was a supportive parent in that respect. He definitely was, 92 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: and by all accounts, Elizabeth really loved him as well 93 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: and wanted to please him. This eagerness to please may 94 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,239 Speaker 1: actually explain the formality and the seriousness of her early work. 95 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: And when she was fifteen, though, things took a turn 96 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: for the worse and she fell mysteriously ill for the 97 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: first time. She started having chest pain, so something seemed 98 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: to be affecting her lungs, and she also complained of 99 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,359 Speaker 1: a quote, swollen spine, and some thought this was a 100 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: nervous breakdown or some sort of psychosomatic condition triggered by 101 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,599 Speaker 1: her favorite brother, Edward leaving home. Modern researchers, of course, 102 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: has have offered other theories, which will discuss a little 103 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: bit later, But regardless of what the exact problem was, 104 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: it would affect Elizabeth for the rest of her life. 105 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: She was always really physically weak and would occasionally have 106 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: these sort of attacks where her health would worsen for 107 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: a little while. Her doctor prescribed opium in the form 108 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: of laudanum for her, and she became addicted to that too, 109 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: so that's sort of added to the back track to 110 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: be on, and her health really got worse in the 111 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: eighteen thirties. She went to tour Key to recover, and 112 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: she even talked her father into having Edward, that favorite brother, 113 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: come and stay with her for a little while, but 114 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 1: tragedy struck again. Her brother drowned while he was visiting her. 115 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: She ended up blaming herself, since you know, she had 116 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: pressured her father into sending him in the first place, 117 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: and after that her health just really continued to decline. 118 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: She had more abouts of feeling extremely ill, and by 119 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: the eighteen forties she was pretty much an invalid. She 120 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: spent most of her time in a dark room taking 121 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: laudanum and really didn't see people very much at all. 122 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: She still wrote, though. She published several books of poetry, 123 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 1: including Seraphim and Other Poems in eighteen thirty eight and 124 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: Just Poems in eighteen forty four, which were both quite successful. 125 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: She had fans all over the place, even across the 126 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: Pond in America. A fan, just as an example of 127 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 1: how famous she was, once sent her a letter addressed 128 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: simply Elizabeth Barrett Poetus, London, and it made it to 129 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: her she received it. I mean, I just wonder what 130 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: would happen if someone sent you know, Sarah and Dablina 131 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: podcasters Atlanta as that. But Robert Browning started in a 132 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: very different place from Elizabeth, but in some ways they 133 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: weren't really all that different. He was born May seventh, 134 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: eighteen twelve, in a suburb of London into a middle 135 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: class family. His father was a clerk at the Bank 136 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: of England, and Robert, like Elizabeth, also didn't receive a 137 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: lot of formal education, though according to Encyclopedia, Britannica. His 138 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: father did teach him Greek and Latin, and also like Elizabeth, 139 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: he was largely self taught and spent a lot of 140 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: time reading works from his father's library and visiting art museums. 141 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: He did get a little bit of formal education in 142 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: in eighty eight he went to the University of London, 143 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: but left after only half a semester. Like Elizabeth too, 144 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: he had the strong affinity for romantic literature in particular, 145 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: which really makes sense if you've read either of their writing. Particularly, 146 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: he liked the works of Percy bish Shelley, who we've 147 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: talked about on the podcast before, so you guys know 148 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: all about him. Browning did have a few trips, not 149 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: exactly a grand tour, but a few jaunts to St. 150 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: Petersburg and Italy as a younger man. But besides that, 151 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: he basically lived with his parents until eighteen forty six, 152 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: and this is when he wrote his early long poems 153 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:57,439 Speaker 1: and most of his plays. There was one major difference though, 154 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: between Robert and Elizabeth. Unlike a Elizabeth, Robert's early work 155 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: wasn't very well received. One of his poems, are Delo, 156 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:09,199 Speaker 1: was considered to be incomprehensible, and his plays were pretty 157 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 1: unpopular too, so they seemed to be on a different 158 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: career trajectory. In the eighteen forties, Elizabeth was actually way 159 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: more famous than he was, and he really admired her work. 160 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: So you can imagine his surprise and pleasure when in 161 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: her poem called Lady Geraldine's Courtship, which came out in 162 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: that eighteen forty four collection we mentioned, she referred favorably 163 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: to his poetry, and he was so flattered he wrote 164 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: his first letter to her on January tenth, eighteen forty five, 165 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 1: and he started it by saying, quote, I love your 166 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: verses with all my heart, dear miss Barrett, and in 167 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: the same letter later wrote, I do as I say, 168 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: love these books with all my heart, and I love 169 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: you too. We took it up a notch there. Elizabeth 170 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: wrote back to him the very next day saying, I 171 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: thank you, dear Mr Browning, from the bottom of my 172 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: heart end quote. I've learned to know your voice, not 173 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: merely from the poetry, but from the kindness in it. 174 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: So it kind of sounds like she's reciprocating there a 175 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: little bit. Oh yeah, And thus began their correspondence, and 176 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: they wrote to each other pretty regularly after that. At first, though, 177 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,719 Speaker 1: Elizabeth didn't think anything romantic would really come of this. 178 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 1: She felt this way for a lot of reasons. I mean, 179 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: for one thing, she didn't really think that she'd ever 180 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,719 Speaker 1: fall in love. She was about thirty eight thirty nine 181 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: years old at this point and considered a spinster at 182 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: this time, you know, being that age and unmarried. And 183 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: she was also, as we mentioned, an invalid who barely 184 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: saw the light of day, much less people outside of 185 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: her family, so she just really didn't see herself as 186 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: a catch. Then there was her dad, and we mentioned 187 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: he was rather controlling, but probably the most famous of 188 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: his edicts was forbidding any of his children, including both 189 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: daughters and sons, from ever marrying. So of course you've 190 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,560 Speaker 1: kind of wonder why would anybody want to make such 191 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: a rule. I mean, after all, if your kids don't 192 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,559 Speaker 1: get married, you're not going to have any legitimate grandchildren, 193 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:13,439 Speaker 1: no legal airs. Pretty unusual way of thinking, especially around 194 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,839 Speaker 1: this time. So nobody knows for sure what motivated Elizabeth's 195 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: father to make this rule. There are several theories, though, 196 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: and we're going to run through a couple of those. 197 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: Some people think it was just this whole Victorian patriarchal thing. 198 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:29,680 Speaker 1: He wanted to keep his kids at home and under 199 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: his control for the entirety of their lives. Others think 200 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: it was because he was uncomfortable with the idea of 201 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: his children's sexuality. But I mean, although this makes sense 202 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: even for us today with father daughter relationships. I mean, 203 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: you can see a father not really being comfortable with 204 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: that idea about his little girl, but it's a little 205 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: stranger to think that he'd feel that way about his 206 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: son's too. There's a third theory, though, one that's a 207 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: little outside of the norm that's emerged in recent years, 208 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: and that's that Elizabeth's father wanted to put an end 209 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:04,079 Speaker 1: to their family line, not because they had some horrible 210 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: thing that had happened in their past, but because he 211 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: believed they had quote mixed blood, So in other words, 212 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: he thought that they were part black. You have to wonder, Okay, 213 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:16,599 Speaker 1: how would this have been possible. How would he suspect 214 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: that there were Africans in his family. Well, they were 215 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: the descendants of wealthy Jamaican plantation owners, so it was 216 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 1: not uncommon for white plantation owners to have black mistresses. 217 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: And Julia Marcus wrote a book called Dared and Done, 218 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: the Marriage of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, and she 219 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: really explored this theory in depth, that that Barrett's father 220 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: was just trying to to end the line despite his 221 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:48,079 Speaker 1: eleven children, he had already sired to to eliminate their 222 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: mixed ancestry. And interestingly enough, we should also say that 223 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 1: Robert Browning was also a descendant of Jamaican plantation owners 224 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: and is also thought to be of mixed race heritage. 225 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: I've seen him described as having some quote Creole blood 226 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: in him from his paternal grandmother's side, and that he 227 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:09,439 Speaker 1: had some African blood in him is actually a little 228 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: bit more widely accepted, I think than the related theories 229 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: about Elizabeth and her father. I think he might have 230 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:19,559 Speaker 1: even discussed similar issues or those issues directly during his lifetime. 231 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: So whatever Barrett's Father's reason though for standing in the 232 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: way of all of his children's marriages, Elizabeth knew this 233 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: was going to be an issue before the courtship even started. 234 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,079 Speaker 1: For Robert's part, he was six years younger than Elizabeth 235 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: and considered a handsome man, quite dashing, but he didn't 236 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: really seem inclined to fall head over heels in love 237 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: either until he started corresponding to Elizabeth, his literary crush 238 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: after all, and after they had written to each other 239 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: for a while, Robert started to ask when they could meet, 240 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: and Elizabeth avoided this for some time, but he was 241 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: really persistent, and finally they set a date for him 242 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: to call on her on mayt five. I've at three 243 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: in the afternoon and Elizabeth's family at that time was 244 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: living at fifty Wimple Street in London, and Robert came 245 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: over and stayed for an hour and a half. But 246 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: it must have been a really good ninety minutes, because 247 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 1: a few days later, Robert sent her a letter declaring 248 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:18,960 Speaker 1: his love for her. And we don't know exactly what 249 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: that letter said because she apparently returned it to him 250 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 1: and asked him to burn it, which he did. Perhaps 251 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: she was scared of her father finding it. It's possibility, 252 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 1: but she wrote to him after that and said, quote, 253 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 1: you do not know what pain you give me, and 254 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: speaking so wildly, forget it once or forever having said 255 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 1: it at all. And it probably wasn't just her fear 256 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: of her father that made her react this way. Yeah, 257 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: after all, Robert had come on pretty strong, pretty quickly, 258 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: and Elizabeth probably didn't think that his feelings were sincere. 259 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: After all, this relationship had started with um, you know, 260 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: him responding to her kind words and poetry. He apologized though, 261 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 1: writing quote I wrote to you in an unwise moment, 262 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: and they continued corresponding. He probably figured he'd rather have 263 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: her as a friend as a correspondent than not get 264 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,359 Speaker 1: to talk to her at all. So the letters continued, 265 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: the visits continued, without her father really picking up on 266 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: what was going on, understanding the full extent of their 267 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: friendship and the frequency of their contact. Yeah, I think 268 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: he might have known that these two poets were coming together, 269 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: probably thinking they were just making shop talk exactly, but 270 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: he didn't realize that Robert was coming over so frequently 271 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: and that they were getting so close, and that shop 272 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: talk for two romantic poets and kind of veer off 273 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: into actual romance. Very true, and as they sure enough, 274 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: that's what happened. As they continued to talk and to 275 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: get to know each other, their friendship blossomed into love, 276 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: and Elizabeth began to reciprocate Robert's feeling. She became more 277 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 1: comfortable and began began to trust his feelings and emotions, 278 00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:00,240 Speaker 1: and as they grew closer, he wanted to go to 279 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's father and ask for her hand in marriage. She 280 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: knew what the answer would be to that though. Yeah, 281 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: she knew her father very well and she knew he 282 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: would never consent, so she, unlike Robert, was willing to 283 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: kind of keep going the way they were, just writing 284 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 1: letters and seeing each other now and again, hanging out 285 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: and never really sealing the deal, never really getting married. 286 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: But finally things came to a head in eighteen forty 287 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: six when Elizabeth's doctor recommended she go to Italy for 288 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: her health. He was basically like, you need to get 289 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: to a warmer climate, otherwise you won't survive another winter here. 290 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: But Elizabeth's father wouldn't let her go. It seemed like 291 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: he was so determined to keep her at home and 292 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: under his thumb, even if that meant she would die. 293 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: So when the winter of eighteen forty six rolled around, 294 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: Elizabeth and Robert finally took action. They decided to get 295 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,239 Speaker 1: married secretly, and it was really of the hardest decisions 296 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: Elizabeth ever made, because she knew that she'd probably lose 297 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: her father if she ran off and got married. And 298 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: even though he doesn't seem that lovable, even though he 299 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: might seem quite strange for imposing a rule like this 300 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: on all of his children, Elizabeth did love her father 301 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: and she didn't think he was at fault for his 302 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 1: views either. She blamed the patriarchal system for how he was, 303 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: but still decision made to get married. She snuck out 304 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: and set off for marle Bone Church one Saturday that September, 305 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: where Robert was waiting for her. Her maid Wilson went 306 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: along kind of as an attendant, and she got faint. 307 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 1: Elizabeth got faint on the way and they had to 308 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: stop briefly at a chemist for some smelling salts, but 309 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: eventually she did make it and she and Robert were 310 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: finally married. After the ceremony, though they didn't get to 311 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 1: walk hand in hand off to a new home together. 312 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: They had to part ways for a little while and 313 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: she had to take off her wedding ring and go 314 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: home to her father. And then finally a week later 315 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: they left for Italy as they had planned to do. 316 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:07,200 Speaker 1: Elizabeth only took a few items of clothing, a couple 317 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,239 Speaker 1: of books, her dog, and her maid along with her, 318 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,640 Speaker 1: probably because her maid would have gotten in trouble if 319 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: her father had found out that um and she also 320 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: took all of the letters that Robert had written to 321 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 1: her during their courtship. Fortunately for us um so as expected, 322 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's father never forgave her for disobeying him. She wrote 323 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: several letters to him, just begging for forgiveness, trying to 324 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 1: explain herself, asking if they could meet, and at some 325 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 1: point he sent her a package returning all of the 326 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: letters she'd sent him, all of which were unopened, and 327 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,440 Speaker 1: she later wrote to her sister Arabella, quote, I could 328 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: never tell you what I felt when those letters came 329 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: back to me, nine or ten of them, all with 330 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:51,920 Speaker 1: their unbroken seals, testifying to the sealed at part which 331 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: refused to be opened by me. So that aspect of 332 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: her marriage and her move were really sad for Elizabeth. 333 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: But Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning ended up in Florence, 334 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:03,400 Speaker 1: where they lived for their entire marriage, though they did 335 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: occasionally take holidays in France and in England, and despite 336 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's sadness over losing her father, their marriage has been 337 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 1: described as pretty happy. They ended up getting an income, 338 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: and eventually an inheritance from Elizabeth's cousin which they lived 339 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,439 Speaker 1: off of, and they both continued to write. Elizabeth in 340 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: particular published a collection of her poetry in eighteen fifty 341 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,920 Speaker 1: called Sonnets from the Portuguese, which included poems written secretly 342 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: to her husband during her courtship, and these poems are 343 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: some of her most well known How do I Love 344 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,680 Speaker 1: thee Let me count the Ways as among those, though 345 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: according to the Dictionary World Biography, that's the fact that 346 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,879 Speaker 1: they're well known is less for any intrinsic artistic excellence 347 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: than for their abiding, romantic and psychological portrait of developing love, 348 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 1: the kind of thing you'd write on Valentine's Cards, right exactly. 349 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: Elizabeth ended up publishing about three more works after that, 350 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: including Aurora Lee, an epic poem in nine books that's 351 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: considered by some to be her masterpiece, and after the 352 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: death of William Wordsworth, she was a serious contender to 353 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: replace him as England's Poet Laureate, but Alfred Lord Tennyson 354 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: was chosen instead beat her out for that position. So meanwhile, 355 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: with all of this professional success, the Brownings were starting 356 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 1: their life together, to their married life together. Elizabeth had 357 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,719 Speaker 1: two miscarriages before the couple had a son, who they 358 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: named Robert in eighteen forty nine. They called him Penn, however, 359 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: to avoid any confusion in the family. Ultimately, the couple 360 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 1: were married for fifteen years when Elizabeth finally succumbed to 361 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: illness and died June eighteen sixty one in Robert's arms. 362 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: He later wrote to his sister quote, she is with 363 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,720 Speaker 1: God who takes from me the life of my life. 364 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:52,919 Speaker 1: To this day, people still speculate what Elizabeth's illness actually was. 365 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:57,360 Speaker 1: Some think it was severe asthma or tuberculosis, maybe pro testis, 366 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,919 Speaker 1: maybe even anarexia nervosa or analytic scoliosis. One of the 367 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:05,399 Speaker 1: latest theories, though, from a researcher at Penn State University 368 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: named An Buchanan and her daughter, suggest that it might 369 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: be a condition called hypocalmic periodic paralysis or h k 370 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: p P, which is a muscle disorder. So that's still 371 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: kind of up in the air. The question of what 372 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,680 Speaker 1: really happened to her one of my favorite sub genres 373 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: I think of doing these history podcasts or the medical 374 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:29,719 Speaker 1: mystery yeah, reevaluating old illnesses. I mean they come up 375 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: with these theories a lot of times just from reading 376 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,480 Speaker 1: letter letters and seeing what her symtoms, doctor advice, that 377 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: sort of thing. It's pretty amazing what they can sometimes 378 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:44,680 Speaker 1: come up with. So after Elizabeth's death, though, Robert Browning 379 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,800 Speaker 1: moved back to England with his son, and the first 380 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:51,120 Speaker 1: thing he did was published a collection of his wife's 381 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,160 Speaker 1: last work entitled Last Poems. I mean, if that's not 382 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: a love letter to your departed wife, I don't know 383 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: what is. Then he continued on with his own work 384 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: got back to his career. During his marriage, he had 385 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: published a few things, including the collection entitled Men and 386 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: Women in eighteen fifty five, but this wasn't as popular 387 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: as his later work. With his eighteen sixty four book 388 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 1: of poems called Dramatis Persona, he finally started to gain 389 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:22,439 Speaker 1: popularity and eventually became a bigger name, arguably than his wife. 390 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: By most accounts, his love for Elizabeth never died. He 391 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: promised her on her deathbed that he would never remarry, 392 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: and he never did. He did, however, socialize quite a bit, 393 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: and he had friendships with many females. I see that 394 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 1: written a lot. I'm not sure to what extent those 395 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: friendships went but there's even evidence that he proposed to 396 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: women on a couple of occasions, so he might have 397 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: remarried if he could have. But I mean, it's easy 398 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: to see kind of why he got shot down if 399 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 1: you look at some of the accounts of these proposals. 400 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: According to Timco's article, when proposing to one lady Ashburton, 401 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: Robert Browning said, quote, my heart is buried in Florence, 402 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: so not really a great way to win a girl over. 403 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: We're not that surprised that she said no after that. No, 404 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 1: that's really not a great tactic to take. But some 405 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: people think that some not so sweet things happened towards 406 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,119 Speaker 1: the end of the Browning's relationship. In a two thousand 407 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: eight article in The Guardian, writer Elizabeth Lowry, using Browning's 408 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: poem My Last Duchess as evidence, explore the idea that 409 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: Robert actually gave Elizabeth an extra dose of morphine at 410 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 1: the end, which led her to death. I'm not sure 411 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,919 Speaker 1: if that was done in some sort of sympathy or 412 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: to finish her off. Yeah, I mean, it's unclear, but again, 413 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 1: this is just a theory. We like to throw those 414 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 1: out there. Even happens, Yeah, we're not sure if that 415 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: is even the case, but we like to present our 416 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: listeners with all the information we have at our fingertips 417 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: so that you can kind of mull over those things. 418 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: Most aside what you think we should say to most 419 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 1: literature professors might not be two big fans of using 420 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: my last duchess as biographical evidence. Very true, but I 421 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: mean most people seem to believe their love to have 422 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: been irreproachable. And so that we can end on a 423 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 1: nicer note for this Valentine's Day episode, we're going to 424 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,120 Speaker 1: read a little bit from Robert's poem One Word More, 425 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: which he dedicated to Elizabeth. It goes, God be thanked 426 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,640 Speaker 1: the meanest of his creatures, boast two soul sides, one 427 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 1: to face the world with, one to show a woman 428 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: he loves her. This I say of me, But think 429 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 1: of you. Love this to you yourself, my moon of poets. Ah. 430 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 1: But that's the world side. There's the wonder. Thus they 431 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 1: see you, praise you, think they know you. There. In turn, 432 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 1: I stand with them and praise you out of myself, 433 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: I dare to phrase it. But the best is when 434 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,679 Speaker 1: I glide from them, cross a step or two of 435 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: dubious Twilight come out on the other side the novel 436 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 1: Silence for Lights and Darks Undreamed of, where I Hush 437 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 1: and Bless myself with Silence. Pay so much for joining 438 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: us on this Saturday. Since this episode is out of 439 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: the archive, if you heard an email address or Facebook 440 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: U r L or something similar over the course of 441 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:22,679 Speaker 1: the show, that could be obsolete now. 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