Porphyria's Lover:  by Robert Browning

          Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning is a rather famous Victorian era poem. Click on the "essay page" of this website (on your left) to access J.T. Best's analysis relative to that famous Robert Browning poem.

          Porphyria is killed by her lover who strangles her with a strand of her own long yellow hair. To justify the diabolical deed history bases the act upon the lover being a crazed madman or sexual deviant. Nothing could be further from the truth. That well-accepted consensus, asserted under the guise of dramatic monologue, is wrong and out of sorts with a common sense approach to interpreting the facts surrounding the death of Porphyria. The lover's killing of Porphyria was an act of euthanasia, plain and simple, a conclusion easily reasoned after taking the entirety of Porphyria's Lover into account as opposed to focusing upon a few selected passages.

          In early November 2005, J.T. Best began in earnest to have his more logical analysis of Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning published by sending it to every university press, literary magazine and website that that catered to interpretative essays. Similar to what occurred with "After Apple Picking" by Robert Frost @ http://whendarknessfell.tripod.com/ the interpretative essay J.T. Best wrote regarding Porphyria's Lover was met with much resistance, scorn and derision (see the "comments pages" of this website).

          Believing Porphyria's Lover to have been misinterpreted for well over a century, J.T. Best, created this website to memorialize his thoughts and to correct what he perceives as a major historical literary error.

          Reader comments or criticisms regarding Mr. Best's interpretation of Porphyria's Lover or After Apple Picking are herewith solicited so feel free to email any constructive comments to the following address and they will be posted in the comments section of this website:  veggebake@yahoo.com

          After reading the poem and J.T. Best's essay and having formed your own interpretation relative the the basis for Porphyria's death, be sure to go to the "Porphyria's Lover on Trial" page of this website and cast your vote regarding which defense you deem most appropriate.