Christina_Rossetti

REGION: Prague ARTIST: Christina Rossetti DATE: 24th November, 2010 AUTHOR: Chika Iheobi DESCRIPTION/ SUMMARY: Christina Georgina Rossetti was an English poet of Italian decent. She was born in London on November 5, 1830 and home-schooled by her mother. At the tender age of 7, Rossetti began writing. In 1848, her poetry was published in the Athenaeum, a literary magazine reserved for only the finest writers of that time (Wikipedia.org). Rossetti’s most famous collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems (1861), was published when she was 31. The title poem—“Goblin Market”, is her most renowned poem and “established Rossetti as a significant voice in Victorian poetry” (http://kirjasto.sci.fi/rossetti.htm). Rossetti used her poetry to subtly portray her views on certain issues of her time. For example in her monologue, “The Iniquity of the Fathers Upon the Children” Rossetti focuses on the problem of illegimate children by imagining she, herself is one. In 1863, Rossetti wrote a poem called “A Royal Princess” which “dealt with starvation, inequality, and poverty” (Isaacs). It was later published in a poetry anthology for the aid of people affected by the Lancashire cotton famine (Isaacs). Rossetti also compiled a collection of simple poems named Sing-Song (1872) which were largely popular with children and took “a high place among children books of the 19th century” (Bryson). Some of her other poetry collections were, The Prince’s Progress (1866) and A Pageant and Other Poems (1881). During the 1880s, Rossetti suffered from Grave’s Disease, a thyroid disorder which caused her to become invalid. During this time she continued to write poetry and was even thought of as a likely successor to the then poet laureate—Alfred Tennyson. When she died on December 29, 1894, her work continued to live on. Rossetti’s Christmas poem, “In the Bleak Mid-Winter” became very popular after her death when it was converted to a Christmas carol by the English composer, Gustav Holst. BIBLIOGRAPHY: "Anthanaeum (magazine)." Wikipedia. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. . Bryson, John. "Rossetti, Christina." Encyclopedia Britannica. EBSCOhost. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. . "Christina Georgina Rossetti." Anglican History. Catholic Literature Association. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. . "Christina Rossetti." The Victorian Web. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. . Everett, Glenn. "The Life of Christina Rossetti." The Victorian Web: An Overview. Web. 24 Nov. 2010.. Isaacs, Jason B. "Christina Rossetti - Additional Biographical Information." The Victorian Web: An Overview. 1991. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. . Marsh, Jan. "Christina 'S World - The Life Of Christina Rossetti , Victorian England's `Inward-Turned' Poet." Chicago Tribune 27 Aug. 1995, Chicagoland Final ed., Tribune Books sec. NewsBank. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. . "Pre-Raphaelite Women: Christina Rossetti." Pittstate. Pittsburg State University. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. . "Rossetti, Christina Georgina." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia UP. EBSCOhost. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. . CAUSAL ANALYSIS/ IMPACT STATEMENT: Christina Georgina Rossetti is widely “recognized as one of the major lyric poets of 19th century England” (Marsh). Rossetti did not shy away from difficult subjects. Rather, she frequently addressed troubling issues in her society. By doing so, she called people’s attention to problems which, otherwise would have been ignored. Through the poem “A Royal Princess” she raised awareness of people affected by the Lancashire cotton famine. Moreover, her works were immensely popular which further increased the impact of her poetry (Bryson). Rossetti possessed a “spontaneous lyrical gift” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia) which set her apart from other artists of her time.