Robert Browning , with Alfred Lord Tennyson, is considered one of the two major poets of the Victorian age. His life (1812-1889) and the chronological span of his publishing career (from Pauline in 1833 to Asolando in 1889) place him firmly in the context of Victoria's reign (1837-1901); his major poetic achievements, including the development of his themes and techniques, simultaneously reflect and dominate the period in which he wrote. Although his early poetry was generally either ridiculed or ignored, as the century progressed Browning gained recognition for his mastery of the dramatic monologue form, for his skillful and penetrating method of character analysis, and for the enunciation of important Victorian themes--especially progress, imperfection, and optimism. Like Tennyson, Browning not only reflected his culture; because he seemed to offer a sense of the stable and the enduring in a dynamic and ever changing world, he became an object of culture. Thus...