"Sample Speech I' The Market-Place": The Habermasian Public Sphere in Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book

In The Ring and the Book, Browning presents a spectrum of twelve dramatic monologues to tell a complicated murder story in 17th century Rome. Browning delves into the environs of 17th century Italy in creating the backdrop for the narrative in Books Two, Three, and Four, supplying these voices to provide historical and social context to the private matter of domestic violence. Understanding the function of this leading triad necessitates investigation into the relation of community and public space to the act of uxoricide. The counter-position of "Half-Rome" in Book II and "The Other Half-Rome" in Book III produces an artificial representation of the dialogue which occurs in the public sphere. This thesis argues that Browning creates the Roman public based on a perspective of history derived partly from British history prior to Browning's era. In assembling the three books; "Half-Rome," "The Other Half-Rome," and "Tertium Quid;" Browning constructs a representation of the Roman populace. This thesis reads the debate in the Roman community from the perspective of 20th century theories of the public sphere. Habennas' theory of the "public discourse about private life" used to describe public discussion in the 16th and 17th centuries will provide new insight into Browning's historical perspective. Specifically, Browning's presentation of public dialectic reviews mid-Victorian concerns over the public rhetoric by anonymous authors in the periodical press. In addition, this analysis extends knowledge concerning the relationship between Victorian writers and their historical predecessors.