Robert Browning

William Paton Ker (1855-1923) was a Scottish literary scholar and essayist. An absolute master in the comparative study of literature, he was among the most erudite critics of his time: no branch of literary activity and almost no European literature remained alien to him. He was an active member of the Dante Society of Oxford and played a leading part in the development of the University College of London.During his life Ker wote many essays. Among his most important works it is necessary to mention: Epic and Romance (1897), The Dark Ages (1904), Essays on Medieval Literature (1905), The Art of Poetry (1923), Collected Essays (post., 1925), Form and Style in Poetry (post., 1928).On March 2, 1910 William Paton Ker gave at the Queen’s College in London a masterful lecture on the great British poet and playwright Robert Browning (1812-1889), whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. Today we propose the text of that lesson to modern readers.