Study Notes on REMEMBER by Christina Rossetti

REMEMBER by Christina Rossetti

Overview

  • Theme: Love, Death, and the Art of Letting Go.

  • Format: A guide to the AQA Love Through the NotebookLM.

The Farewell Note

  • Key elements:

    • Premise: An unnamed speaker, approaching death, addresses their beloved.

    • Conflict: Tension arises between the desire to be remembered versus the intention to spare the beloved pain.

    • Resolution: Transition from the imperative "Remember me" to the permission to "Forget and smile".

The Victorian Cult of Mourning

  • Historical Context:

    • Written during a time of high mortality rates.

    • Queen Victoria's prolonged mourning for her husband Prince Albert (40 years) created a societal obsession with death.

  • Christina Rossetti's Life:

    • Written at the age of 19 in 1849.

    • Suffered from Graves' disease and faced financial hardship.

    • Sister to the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

  • Memento Mori: A reminder that all individuals must die, emphasizing the inevitability of death.

The Artifact

  • Text of the Poem:

    • "Remember me when I am gone away,\nGone far away into the silent land;\nWhen you can no more hold me by the hand,\nNor I half turn to go yet turning stay.\nRemember me when no more day by day\nYou tell me of our future that you plann'd: \nOnly remember me; you understand\nIt will be late to counsel then or pray.\nYet if you should forget me for a while\nAnd afterwards remember, do not grieve: \nFor if the darkness and corruption leave\nA vestige of the thoughts that once I had,\nBetter by far you should forget and smile\nThan that you should remember and be sad."

  • Structure:

    • The Octave (Lines 1-8): The Plea.

    • The Sestet (Lines 9-14): The Release.

Anatomy of a Petrarchan Sonnet

  • Rhyme Scheme: ABBA ABBA CDD ECE.

  • Circular Obsession: This structure emulates a shift from static fear of death to a more fluid acceptance.

  • The Volta: Occurs at Line 9, signifying a change in tone and perspective.

The Heartbeat of Restraint

  • Form: Utilizes iambic pentameter, consisting of 10 syllables per line.

  • Control: The strict meter reflects the speaker's effort to maintain self-control in the face of grief.

  • Tension: The meter mimics a heartbeat, maintaining a steady yet strained rhythm that prevents the poem from becoming overly emotional or hysterical.

The Octave: A Desperate Plea

  • Imperative Verbs: The use of "remember" serves as a command emphasizing the speaker's fear of being forgotten.

  • Anadiplosis: The repetition of phrases "Gone away" and "Gone far away" emphasizes increasing distance from life.

  • The Silent Land: Refers to death, depicted as a place of isolation where physical intimacy is lost.

The Volta: The Pivot Point

  • Transition: From fearing erasure to fearing the pain caused to the beloved by this reality.

  • Tone Shift: Transitioning from an authoritative tone to one that is tentative and tender.

The Sestet: Selfless Resolution

  • Imagery: "Darkness and corruption" serves as euphemisms for physical decay versus spiritual memory.

  • The Vestige: Hope for a trace of memory to remain without causing sadness.

  • Conditional Language: The phrase "Better by far…" illustrates the speaker granting permission to forget, putting the needs of the living over the dead.

Theme: The Definition of Love

  • Possession and Liberation:

    • Beginning: "Hold me by the hand" - suggests physical control.

    • End: "Forget and smile" - indicates spiritual liberation.

  • Insight: True love is redefined as self-sacrifice, prioritizing the beloved's happiness over the speaker’s own ego.

Theme: Memory & The Silent Land

  • The Fear: The Silent Land symbolizes a lack of communication between the living and the deceased.

  • Paradox: The speaker desires memory to bridge their connection despite acknowledging that memory can invoke pain.

  • Pre-Raphaelite Influence: Depicts acceptance of death as a journey but highlights the fear of resulting loneliness.

Critical Lens: Gender & Power

  • Agency Question: Is the speaker portrayed as a passive character?

  • Patriarchal Context: Mirrors Victorian gender roles, reflecting male dominance in relationships.

  • Coverture: Discusses the legal stripping of a woman's autonomy during this era.

  • Conclusion: The speaker's ultimate power lies in death, granting permission to forget is her only form of control.

Literary Connections

  • Versus John Keats (La Belle Dame Sans Merci):

    • Similarity: Themes surrounding death, pale figures, and silence.

    • Difference: Keats displays obsession and supernatural elements; Rossetti remains grounded and resigned.

  • Versus Andrew Marvell (To His Coy Mistress):

    • Similarity: Urgency in confronting decay and mortality.

    • Difference: Marvell uses death to compel sexual action while Rossetti emphasizes peace and resolution.

Revision Cheatsheet

  • Form: Petrarchan Sonnet (ABBA ABBA CDD ECE).

  • Volta: Change at Line 9 ('Yet') indicates a shift from selfishness to selflessness.

  • Meter: Iambic Pentameter reflecting heartbeat and restraint.

  • Key Terms: Anadiplosis, Euphemism, Silent Land.

  • Key Quotes:

    • "Future that you plann'd",

    • "Darkness and corruption",

    • "Forget and smile".

  • Themes: Transience, Selfless Love, Acceptance.

The Final Paradox

  • Conclusion: Rossetti’s message asserts that the true legacy of love lies not in being remembered, but in the happiness that is bestowed upon those who remain, emphasizing that it is better for loved ones to "forget and smile" than to carry the burden of sorrowful remembrance.