text

1847 first version, "The Blessed Damozel"

"My Sister's Sleep" (1847-49)

"For an Annunciation"

Sonnet 90, "The House of Life"

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1848 early version "Jenny"

"The Bride's Prelude," also 1859 (poss. also 1880?)

"House of Life" sonnets 71-73"

"For Our Lady of the Rocks"

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1849 "For a Venetian Pastoral"

HL, sonnets 74-76

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1850 "Burden of Nineveh," altered 1856

HL, sonnet 69 ("Autumn Idleness")

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1851 "Sister Helen," altered 1880

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1852 HL, sonnet 47

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1853 HL, sonnets 65, 70

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1854 HL, sonnets 15, 67

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1855 HL, sonnet 68

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1856 revised "Burden of Nineveh"

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1859 "The French Liberation of Italy"

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"The House of Life"

I. Early period: 1849-67 (18 sonnets)

moralistic sonnets of 40s; regretful sonnets of failed opportunity, 50s

15, 47, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 86, 90, 91

II. 1868-70 (42 sonnets)

2. 3, 4, 6, 6a, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 21, 23, 25, 36, 37, 38, 39, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 63, 79, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 92 and 93 (1869-73), 95, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101

III. 1871-73 (37 sonnets)

1, 5, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 53, 54, 59, 60, 62, 64, 66, 80, 81, 88, 89, 89, 96

IV. Late period 1874-81 (6 sonnets)

sonnets on the nature of beauty, literary achievement--emphasis on the formal and ornate

Introductory sonnet, 56, 57, 58, 61, 94