Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband, Robert, were both poets, but Elizabeth was far more famous during her lifetime. In fact, Robert was so much less famous than Elizabeth that he was referred to as "Mrs. Browning's husband." (Source)
Today Elizabeth Barrett Browning is most famous for her Sonnets from the Portuguese, but Victorian readers were more interested in her verse novel, Aurora Leigh, the story of a young woman who wants to be a famous poet. (Source)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning's father was very possessive and controlling and kept her virtually imprisoned in the family house. Robert first "met" Elizabeth by reading one of her books of poetry, then by exchanging letters with her. In order to marry, Elizabeth and Robert had to elope and go to Italy. Elizabeth's father never forgave her, but the Brownings' marriage was famously happy and passionate.(Source)