The New York Browning Society, Inc.Newsletter
Founded in 1907
Date Wednesday, February10, 2020
Time 1:00– 2:00PM
Bob McNeil: Love in Poetry of the Brownings
by Laura Clarke
We hope that you will be able to join us next Wednesday for Bob McNeil’s talk on the subject of love in the poetry of the Brownings:
The quotes and poems in this recital deal with the importance of love and hope. However, some of the words understand more often than not that the feeling and wish seem to lack permanence or relevance. Without question, cynics will say these sentiments seem better suited for art than everyday existence. They may argue that devotion to a dream is as illogical as mythology. Nonetheless, there are words in this program that realize love and hope are parts of a building that require brick-strong devotion. Sans their foundation, there would be no place to house the best aspects of our humanity.
McNeil’s talk is especially important as Robert Browning’s concept of love is critical for understanding his poetry. Browning’s idea of love is derived from Plato and from the Christian concept of love of which John speaks in his First Epistle, for which God is love and to love is to know the divine. Browning agreed with the German Romantic philosopher Friedrich Schlegel that religion is not a particular theological creed but anything that touches the infinite; thus, human love, as the embodiment of the divine, is a religious expression. This notion of love and religion meant that Browning did not think of unlawful love as blasphemous if it sprang from a genuinely spiritual feeling.
This is the subject of Browning’s long narrative poem Red Cotton Night-Cap Country or Turf and Towers (1873), which shocked readers with its scandalous plot. Based on real-life events, the narrative follows a Norman gentleman, Léonce Miranda, who falls in love with a married woman and begins a relationship that conflicts with the tenets of his Catholic upbringing. Driven to a psychological crisis, Browning’s protagonist jumps from a tower, a symbol of his religious faith, believing that the miraculous powers of the Holy Virgin of La Ravissante will save him, only to be killed on the unforgiving turf of the real world. As Browning sees it, Miranda’s problem is that he fails to make a distinction between religion and theology. Browning conceived of theology as the outward forms and creeds that embody the divine ideas of religion. Miranda makes a terrible mistake because he focuses too much on these forms, which dictate his separation from Clara, and thus misses the fact that love is the true expression of religion
The plot of Red Cotton Night-Cap Country is based on the life of the Paris jeweler, Antoine Mellerio, who killed himself in 1870, leaving his property to the Church but stipulating that his mistress, Anna de Beaupré, could remain in their home. This was contested by Mellerio’s relatives who lost a law case against de Beaupré. Browning stays close to the facts of the case, so much so that he only changed the real names (Mellerio to Léonce Miranda and de Beaupré to Clara de Millefleurs) at the last minute because he was concerned about legal ramifications, and his observations are derived from visits that he made to
Normandy in 1870 and 1872. However, although Browning refers to real-life events, these details have a more important symbolic role in the poem since they are a vehicle for exploring his deeply held views on love.
Miranda hopes that he can live with Clara even though the Catholic Church forbids it, but this becomes impossible because Clara cannot divorce her husband. When Miranda’s mother dies, ostensibly broken-hearted as a result of her son’s actions, he has a complete breakdown. Relying on external laws dictated by the Church—the forms of theology—Miranda decides to renounce his relationship with Clara. He begins to engage in a series of ritualistic acts, burning his love letters and his hands, as well as giving generously to the Church, in an attempt to purify his body. This ends with his unfortunate attempt to test his faith by jumping off the tower.
Browning makes it clear that although Miranda’s love for Clara was illicit in terms of Catholic law, it was true in terms of the spirit: “Truth I say, truth I mean: this love was true.” Browning also does not judge Clara’s morality in terms of her sexual mores but only for her selfish interpretation of love. In only caring about seeking her own spiritual sustenance through her relationship with Miranda, she does not help him to attain a higher religious vision through their mutual love. Browning believes that if Miranda had possessed the imagination to distinguish between religion and theology, he would have found an expression of the eternal ideas of religion in his own love for Clara, and if Clara had loved Miranda as a reflection of God rather than for her own nourishment, she would have experienced the real religious transformation that transcends the temporal.
This was a perfectly wonderful tribute. Edna’s readings were beautiful in both languages. It’s the second time I’ve had the good fortune to hear her.
Bob McNeil literally glows in his recitals. His introductory remarks reach deep into your heart and demand your attention. His mastery of words is only exceeded by his love love for them. He practically levitates. — J. L. Lewis
Bob McNeil’s reading of so many famous and diverse poems is full of passion and empathy for the literature he reads and it was a pleasure to listen to the lively and thought provoking discussion his performance provoked from all of the participants.
Awesome work!
Extraordinary article. Looking for more to come..
More fantastic work from Bob McNeil! Truly Brilliant!
Bob McNeil Resonates the beauty held within the Browning poetry..Excellent recital. Well worth the listen. Quite the show!
A big shoutout to Bob McNeil! It’s lovely seeing all these artists and writers getting together for events like these. 🙂 All the best to everyone!
I live this author. Always a pleasure to read, even though topics.
This was an excellent show. Bob McNeil did a wonderful job narrating all the poems he read. He put passion into it and it ressonates with the times. Looking forward to listening to more of his Renditions I liked how he compared other poets to the Brownings.
So good to see you!! I wasn’t sure if the New York Browning Society was still around. We are just about surviving, here at the San Francisco Browning Society.
Bob McNeil is an incredible wordsmith.He shines every time.
Belated as it may be, still, having watched the video, finally, which I missed upon original showtime due to illness, I feel bound to comment on my dear friend and fellow writer Bob McNeil’s presentation of his observations on Love in the poetry of the Brownings. Nobody I know or have ever seen in person can match the verbal pyrotechnics of Bob McNeil when he is reading the works of classic poets. His vocals are unsurpassed. I only wish I could muster up the rhetorical flourishes to do them justice. His cadence, his enunciation, his pacing and placement of emphasis, Bob uses his voice like a musical instrument. All I can say is, Bravo! Bob . . . and look forward to the next opportunity online to listen to his masterful recitations.
gene christy, author of The Twentieth Century Quintet, five novels available on Amazon and from adelaidebooks.org, New York, New York.