17 pages • 34 minutes read
Caroline Elizabeth Sarah NortonWe Have Been Friends Together
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1850A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Old Friends” by Caroline Norton (1830)
“Old Friends” is another ballad in The Undying One and Other Poems. It focuses on how friendship changes through time or depends on which social group one is in. The speaker mourns youth as a happy time and is upset that as an adult “dark suspicion wakes, and love departs” (Line 21). This is similar to the fight between the friends in “We Have Been Friends Together.” Norton also uses similar descriptions to describe faces in “Old Friends.” There is a “well-feigned smile” (Line 23), which can’t quite hide “cold distrust” (Line 23) much like the “coldness dwell[ing] within thy heart” (Line 5) in “We Have Been Friends Together.”
“When Poor in All But Hope and Love” by Caroline Norton (1830)
This is another ballad with a similar subject matter to “We Have Been Friends Together.” The poems are printed side by side in The Undying One and Other Poems. In this poem, the speaker has worked for fame and fortune to win a love they had in their youth. While the speaker is wealthy, their love is no longer there. This makes all the wealth, fame, and praise seemingly meaningless. The idea of missed connection is also prominent.
“Sonnet VIII” by Caroline Norton (1840)
This is a sonnet of Norton’s published in The Dream and Other Poems, written as an ode to the comfort one finds in books when feeling sad. Here, the speaker is facing a “lonely hour” (Line 1) after feeling betrayed by friends and turns to their books for steadiness. There’s a similar feeling to “We Have Been Friends Together” as the poem conveys memories that are happier than present reality.
Further Literary Resources
Interview with Antonia Fraser by Andrew Keen (2022)
This is an interview with renowned British historian Antonia Fraser about her book, The Case of the Married Woman: Caroline Norton: A 19th Century Heroine Who Wanted Justice for Women (2021). With Keen, Fraser discusses Norton’s life, the Melbourne case, and the status of women during the Victorian Age. While she doesn’t mention “We Have Been Friends Together,” Fraser shows how topical a figure Norton is and gives a good idea of the stress she was under.
The Criminal Conversation of Caroline Norton by Diane Atkinson (2012)
Diane Atkinson’s biography covers Norton’s relationship with her husband and the trial regarding the accusations of her adultery with Lord Melbourne. Atkinson briefly mentions Norton’s creative writing, including The Undying One and Other Poems, but focuses more on her political pamphlets.
Introduction of The Selected Letters of Caroline Norton by Ross Nelson and Marie Mulvey-Roberts (2021)
Nelson and Mulvey-Roberts, the editors of Volumes 1-3 of Norton’s selected letters, discuss Norton’s biography and advocacy as well as the copious amounts of letters she wrote. The introduction briefly covers her biography, stressing her importance as a poet and advocate. The book includes letters Norton wrote to prominent figures she knew in Victorian Society.
“Caroline Norton: A Biographical Sketch” by Andrzej Diniejko and D. Litt (2013)
This is a brief overview of Norton’s life, her advocacy, and her creative writing. Diniejko and Litt also show how Norton influenced and inspired many artists and writers of the Victorian age. While “We Have Been Friends Together” is not directly mentioned, the article does discuss the reception of Norton’s collection The Undying One and Other Poems, in which the ballad appears, and also includes comparisons made to the English poet, Lord Byron.
Listen to Poem
Although this video covers several poems of Norton’s, and “We Have Been Friend Together” is the first poem included.
