Christina Rossetti Information

Christina Rossetti

Her life:

·       - Born December 5^th 1830

·   -Passed away December 29^th 1894

·   -Raised in London

·   -From a very cultural Italian heritage

·   -Taught her education by her mother

·   -She suffered with breakdowns in school at age 14

·   -Family is creative

·   -Father was exiled

·   -The youngest of the four children

     -She had three suitors, was engaged twice

(Both failed due to religious beliefs)

·   -Pen name: Ellen Alleyne

·   -Literary movement was the pre-Raphaelite

     -Religion played a large part in her life

·    -Rossetti sat for Dante’s most famous paintings as a model of the Virgin Mary

·    -Late in life Rossetti suffered with Graves’ Disease an illness that affected the thyroid and eyes

General: Against all female poets of the Victorian ear, posterity has been the most kind to Rossetti. From the early stages of her life, she was under influence of her creative family to find her calling and method of expression. Christina tried painting but found her stride in poetry where she managed to capture the strokes of a painting within her words.

Rossetti’s education was structured and taught by her mother. Rossetti did go to school but she had breakdowns at a young age and her family found it best if she was home-schooled. 

During the Victorian period men and women’s roles became more sharply defined than at any time in history. The two sexes now inhabited what Victorians thought of as ‘separate spheres’, only coming together at breakfast and again at dinner.

Despite her often religious themes dominating her work, Rossetti never preaches within it. Rossetti expressed herself as a high Anglican, formal and serious about their devotion to God.

The poet Augusta Webster wrote to Rossetti asking for her support in a campaign, which aimed to give women the right to vote. However, Rossetti refused. In her letter of response, she asked,

“Does it not appear as if the Bible was based upon an understood unalterable distinction between men and women, their position, duties, privileges?”

In her mind, this ‘unalterable distinction' was made with Eve and continued throughout the Bible. To Rossetti, men and women were created by God as fundamentally different creatures. Because of their fundamental differences, Rossetti believed that men and women should have different responsibilities and rights.