Main content

How a Victorian dognapping inspired an epic poem

Melvyn Bragg and guests Daniel Karlin, Karen O'Brien and Margaret Reynolds discuss what inspired Elizabeth Barrett Browning's epic "Aurora Leigh", published in 1856. The poem was celebrated by other poets and was Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most commercially successful. Over 11,000 lines, she addressed many Victorian social issues, including reform, illegitimacy, the pressure to marry and what women must overcome to be independent, successful writers, in a world dominated by men.

First broadcast on In Our Time, 24 March 2016.

Release date:

Duration:

3 minutes

This clip is from