Making Murder Sophisticated: Robert Browning and the Poetry of Madness

The Victorians, although well-behaved on the surface, were obsessed with macabre and murder. Reading 19^th century writings, we would never suspect that madness would be a significant topic to explore. Who would have thought that such poetry would enter the canon? And yet, it did.

We will explore how Robert Browning, one of the most famous British poets, played with the motif of murder and lunacy. We will get a glimpse into the minds of Browning’s madmen, how they rationalise their needs and how poetry transforms horror into a gripping narrative.