Christina Rossetti
Life
·
- She was born 5 December 1830 to Gabriele and Frances Rossetti.
- Rossetti was educated at home by her mother, who had strong religious views
- She came from a literary and artistic family
- She was never married as she declined marriage from three men, all for religious reasons
Role of Women in the
19th Century
Men and
women inhabited what the Victorians called ‘separate –spheres’ and only came
together at breakfast and lunch.
The role
of women was to get married and raise families, which Rossetti never did,
however they were expected to not to focus too obviously on finding a husband.
Male Perceptions of
Christina Rossetti’s Poetry
Early
male critics and reviewers of Rossetti’s poetry had different expectations of
poetry written by men and poetry written by women. They thought that there was
‘not much thinking in them’. By dismissing any idea that there are deeper
meanings and in her work, the reviewers were able to continue perceiving
Rossetti’s work as what was expected of a female poet.
Themes in Rossetti’s
Poetry
Although
her poems contain themes of religion she never preaches about it. Her writings
show her questioning her religious views and beliefs.
Even
though Rossetti was ambivalent about women’s suffrage, her poems did contain
themes of feminism.
When
Rossetti was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, her poems began to have the theme
of loss of beauty in them.
