Christina Rossetti

Life

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•  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.