CHAPTER II.

He wishes to be a poet; writes in the style of Byron and Pope; the
"Death of Harold"; his poems, written when twelve years old, shown to
Miss Flower; the Rev. W.J. Fox's criticisms on them; he comes across
Shelley's "Dæmon of the World"; Mrs. Browning procures Shelley's poems,
also those of Keats, for her son; the perusal of these volumes proves
an important event in his poetic development; he leaves school when
fourteen years old, and studies at home under a tutor; attends a few
lectures at University College, 1829-30; chooses his career, at the age
of twenty; earliest record of his utterances concerning his youthful
life printed in _Century Magazine_, 1881; he plans a series of
monodramatic epics; Browning's life-work, collectively one monodramatic
"epic"; Shakspere's and Browning's methods compared; Browning writes
"Pauline" in 1832; his own criticism on it; his parents' opinions; his
aunt's generous gift; the poem published in January 1833; description of
the poem; written under the inspiring stimulus of Shelley; its
autopsychical significance; its importance to the student of the poet's
works; quotations from "Pauline". Page 29.


CHAPTER III.

The public reception of "Pauline"; criticisms thereupon; Mr. Fox's
notice in the _Monthly Repository_, and its results; Dante Gabriel
Rossetti reads "Pauline" and writes to the author; Browning's reference
to Tennyson's reading of "Maud" in 1855; Browning frequents literary
society; reads at the British Museum; makes the acquaintance of Charles
Dickens and "Ion" Talfourd; a volume of poems by Tennyson published