I wonder what kind of public reaction Browning recieved on his poem "Porphyria's Lover." I was at a party this weekend and an Eminem song was playing (let me state that I do NOT like Eminem, I find him deplorable, but am using him merely for this comparison.) In the song, he was talking about beating his ex-wife, and he's recieved widespread criticism for this and other controversial and offensive lyrics. How did the public react to poems like "Porphria's Lover"? This poem was a shock to me when I read it. I'm surprised that "Porphyria's Lover" wasn't the object of much controversy when it was written.