Christina Rossetti Context

Christina Rossetti Biography (1)

1830: Born, youngest child of the family (Maria -> Dante -> William -> Christina) 

 

1843: Began attending Christ Church, Albany Street with her mother and sister Maria (Anglo-Catholicism, supporting Anglican sisterhoods)

 

1845: Suffered a collapse that was categorised as ‘Religious Mania’  

 

1848: James Collison (member of PRB) proposed to Christina, but she refused as he was Roman Catholic. He converted to the Church of England, and his second proposal was accepted.  

Christina Rossetti Biography (2)

1850: Collison reverted to Roman Catholicism, and the engagement broke off 

 

1854: Christina’s Father died. Christina volunteered to join Florence Nightingale’s nurses in the Crimean war, but  she was rejected as she was too young. However, her aunt, Eliza Polidori, did join so Christina took over her district visiting which involved assisting the sick and poor. 

 

1859 - 1870: Christina volunteered at the St Mary Magdelene Penitentiary in Highgate to work for the ‘reclamation of fallen women’ through prayer. She was known as Sister Christina. 

Christina Rossetti Biography (3)

1862: ‘Goblin Market and other poems’ was published  

 

1866: Christina declined proposal from Charles Cayley on religious grounds but remained friends 

 

1870 – 1872: Christina suffered from a life-threatening illness that was later diagnosed as Grave’s disease 

 

1878: Christina wrote to poet Augusta Webster critiquing women’s suffrage, but suggesting women’s representation in Parliament  

 

1894: Died due to breast cancer 

The Pre - Raphaelite Bortherhood (PRB)

The PRB was initiated in 1848 and aimed to produce art in an innovative style with direct and sincere feeling 

 

- It was a group of 7 artists and poets, including Christina’s brothers Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Michael Rossetti 

 

- Although Rossetti’s brothers encouraged her writing, she was never invited to become a member of the PRB 

 

- In 1850, PRB published ‘The Germ’ which featured 7 of Christina Rossetti’s poems under the pseudonym ‘Ellen  Alleyne’ 

Marriage and religion (1)

Christina Rossetti remained unmarried throughout her lifetime and rejected several marriage proposals 

 

- 1848: James Collision proposed to Christina, but she refused as he was Roman Catholic. He converted to the Church of England, and his second proposal was accepted. 

 

- 1850: James Collison reverted to Roman Catholicism, and the engagement broke off 

Marriage and religion (2)

1857: John Brett, who painted Christina Rossetti’s portrait, may have proposed to her, but this is not confirmed. Dante and William thought John Brett was smitten with her (No, Thank You, John?) 

 

- 1866: Christina Rossetti declined Charles Cayley’s proposal due to religious grounds, but they remained friends 

 

- Some critics believe Christina’s rejection of marriage was a sign of her subversion of rigid Victorian social conventions -> Victorian marriage was restrictive and limited female autonomy  

 

- Other critics believe that Christina avoided marriage to renounce herself from earthly love and become fully devoted to the love of God 

Soul Sleep (1)

The belief that upon physical death, the soul enters an unconscious, dormant state, resting in the grave until the final Resurrection and Last Judgment. 

 

The belief that the soul rests in a state of unconscious waiting between physical death and the final resurrection.  

Soul Sleep (2)

This state is portrayed not as terrifying, but as a peaceful, refreshing escape from earthly toil, sorrow, and unfulfilled desires. 

 

Rossetti, as an Anglican Tractarian, viewed the afterlife as a temporary, silent, and quiet waiting period for the Last Day, rather than an immediate transition to heaven or hell. 

Victorian Mourning Culture (1)

There was a culture of death, because of the constant threat of death from poor living conditions. 

 

- Funerals became elaborate to show religious belief and emphasise class difference 

 

- After Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria wore full mourning clothes permanently (despite criticism) 

Victorian Mourning Culture (2)

There were two phases of mourning upper- and middle-class women 

 

Full mourning - strict social isolation, completely black clothing, no jewellery 

  

Half mourning - looser restrictions, some non-black clothes, jewellery allowed. 

  

Loss of husband required 1 year of each, while a loss of parent was a half year each There were two phases of mourning upper- and middle-class women