Browning's Heroines

"Browning's Heroines" by Ethel Colburn Mayne is an early 20th-century exploration of the women in Robert Browning's poems. It looks at what makes these characters important and unique, and how Browning's work touches on big ideas about women and their power. Mayne argues that Browning’s heroines are brave and show a modern idea of what it means to be a woman, showing he didn't just see women as things to be desired, but as real people with their own dreams and problems. By comparing Browning's way of writing about women to other authors, Mayne points out that he made girlhood something to be admired and studied. The analysis sets out to show the lyrical beauty and the deep themes that Mayne believes are at the heart of Browning's work.