Rossetti context flashcards AO3

Born

5^th December 1830

Family and Heritage

Father: Gabriel Rossetti – political exile who worked as an Italian professor at Kings College, London

Mother: Frances Poladori – woman with literary connections (sister of Byron’s doctor, famous for writing ‘A Vampire’, short story)

Siblings: Maria

 Dante Gabriel – pre-Raphaelite

William Michael – civil servant and critic

(Christina was the youngest of the four)

She came from a family with Italian roots

Education

Christina had a religious education from her mother, a devout Anglican, and had exposure to children’s literacy and creativity

Religion

Christina was a devout member of the High-Anglican Church, influenced by the Oxford movement and Tractarianism. From 1843, she, her mother and sister attended the Christ Church in Albany Street under William Dodsworth. She was exposed to elements of High Anglicanism that linked back to the pre-reformation church.

Rossetti’s breakdown

Christina suffered a serious breakdown at around 15/16 years old. It was unclear whether it was physical or psychological, but it was speculated that she suffered from Grave’s disease (common in women and adolescents – she displayed the physical symptoms) or stress.

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

This was a secret society comprised of budding artists who opposed Raphael – a Renaissance artist. It was founded by Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1848. William, her other brother was involved and Christina also wanted to be involved. She sat for many religious paintings which depicted Christ’s life. Her style of poetry is seen as being bright and jewel-like, mirroring the Brotherhood’s painting style.

James Collinson

She was engaged to James Collinson from 1848-1850. He was a founding member of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and also a High Anglican. He met Christina in Christ Church, but he converted to Roman Catholic. He converted back to High Anglicanism for Christina, but after two years, his religious values replaced his romantic values and he converted back to Roman Catholicism, ending their engagement.

Song

1848

Remember

1849: in the Victorian era there were strict rules and interpretations of grief. There were specific social conventions for what colours to wear and how long to honour the dead. There were lots of superstitions about death and grieving. After the invention of the camera, photographs of the dead were taken, often the only photograph that person would have.

The Germ

Christina published 7 poems to ‘The Germ’, the PRB journal, in 1850 under the pseudonym, Ellen Alleyne.

Echo

1854: In the same year as Echo was published, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote A Musical Instrument, telling the story of the Greek god Pan who “hacked and hewed” an instrument into shape from a reed. The wider suggestion is that poetry, like the musical instrument, comes essentially from a place of suffering or deep feeling that needs expressing.

In Greek myth, ‘Echo’ was a nymph who helped Zeus commit adultery by distracting his wife, Hera. Once Hera found out, she made her unable to speak except to repeat someone else’s last words. Echo fell in love with Narcissus but as she only could echo him, he rejected her and she pined away until only her voice remained.

From the Antique

1854: this was written in 1854 but never published in Rossetti’s lifetime, possibly because of its unmistakeable critique of society. “Wearying” is a woman’s position that the lack of existence is preferable, because of the need to escape gender expectations.

Crimean War

(1854) Rossetti volunteered to join Florence Nightingale’s nurses but was turned down, yet her aunt, Eliza Polidori was accepted and Rossetti took over her visiting district, helping the sick and the poor.

Shut Out

1856: the original title whilst writing was “What happened to me”

Maude Clare

1857: James Collinson marries ?

In the Round Tower at Jhansi

1857: this poem was written in response to a newspaper article reporting that, under attack by rebels, Captain Skene ordered his wife and all other Christians in Jhansi to a tower where they could attempt to defend themselves. Unable to do so, Skene killed his wife and then himself to prevent them being taken prisoner. This account was found to be inaccurate – Skene and his wife were captured and executed by the mutineers.

Winter: My Secret

1857: its draft title was ‘Nonsense’, according to her brother William Michael Rossetti. This is perhaps an indication that there is no secret at all.

A Birthday

1857

Up-Hill

1858

Highgate Penitentiary

Christina volunteered in Highgate from 1859-1869. It was a House of Charity run by Anglican nuns. She worked with prostitutes and unmarried women for a long time, working to rehabilitate ‘fallen’ women.

No, Thank You John

1860: “The original ‘John’ was obnoxious because he never gave scope for ‘No, thank you’” – Family Letters of Christina Rossetti (1908), William Michael writes this. This original John is said to be John Brett, marine painter.

Charles Cayley

Christina was proposed to by Cayley but rejected him as he was Agnostic (1860s)

Goblin Market

1862: her work at Highgate Penitentiary aligns with when this was written, as well as its moral message as a ‘cautionary tale’.

Good Friday

1862: Good Friday is a Holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at Calvary. This is significant as this is when Jesus died to redeem mankind.

Twice

1864

Josephine Butler

Rossetti distanced herself from the growing women’s movement towards the end of the nineteenth century, but she did believe that women could be reformed. Josephine Butler was one of the first feminist activists and fought against the Contagious Disease Act (1864). Butler and Rossetti both had the same belief that women who had fallen into prostitution could be redeemed, both working within an organised female network to rescue their ‘fallen’ sisters.

Women and the vote

Rossetti did not endorse the feminist movement: she refused to support university education and votes for women, going as far as to sign the women’s anti-suffrage petition in 1869.

Souer Louise de la Misericorde

1874: Souer Louise de la Misericorde was originally the French Duchess de la Valliere, at Louis XIV’s court. She became his mistress and had several children by him. She caused great sensation at court when she converted to Catholicism, becoming a nun. She wrote several religious books, but it was questioned whether she had actually written them because of their high quality.

Death

29^th December 1894