Context and background

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) was a prominent Victorian poet whose work often explored deep emotional and spiritual themes. Born in London to an artistic family, she was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists and writers including her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who sought to revive the detailed and symbolic style of early Renaissance art.

Historical and social context

• Victorian society - Rossetti lived in an era of strict social norms, especially for women, who were often expected to focus on domestic life rather than creative pursuits. Her poetry frequently reflects the tension between personal desire and societal expectation.
• Religious influence - A devout Anglican, Rossetti's faith deeply shaped her writing. Her work often grapples with spiritual longing, sin, and redemption, reflecting the Victorian preoccupation with religion.
• Gender roles - As a woman in the 19th century, Rossetti faced limitations on her independence, which is mirrored in her poetry's exploration of identity and suppressed emotions.

Rossetti's life and influences

Rossetti suffered from poor health throughout her life, which may have contributed to the melancholic tone in much of her poetry. She declined multiple marriage proposals, possibly due to religious convictions or a desire for artistic freedom, and remained unmarried. Her work often draws on fairy tales, biblical imagery, and nature to express complex emotions.

Overview of selected poems

This section provides a brief summary of some of Rossetti's well-known poems, focusing on their central ideas and key concerns.

Detailed poem analysis

This section provides detailed analysis of four key poems, exploring their form, structure, language, and thematic significance.

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Goblin Market (1862)

Goblin Market tells the story of Laura and Lizzie, sisters who hear the seductive calls of goblin men selling exotic fruit. Laura trades a lock of her hair to taste the fruit, becomes obsessed, and wastes away. Lizzie bravely confronts the goblins to save her sister, enduring abuse to bring back the antidote.

Form and structure:

• Written in irregular rhyme and metre, it mimics the unpredictability of a fairy tale.
• The long stanzas and repetitive chants ("Come buy, come buy") create a hypnotic rhythm.

Language and imagery:

• Vivid descriptions of fruit ("Plump unpecked cherries, / Melons and raspberries") evoke sensory temptation.
• The goblins are animalistic ("One had a cat's face, / One whisked a tail"), symbolising danger and otherness.

Significance:

• Often interpreted as an allegory for temptation and redemption, with Lizzie's sacrifice paralleling Christian salvation.
• It also explores female solidarity and the dangers of desire.

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Remember (1862)

Remember is a sonnet in which the speaker contemplates their impending death, asking a loved one to remember them but ultimately prioritising the living's peace over memory ("Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad").

Form and structure:

• A Petrarchan sonnet with an octave and sestet, reflecting a shift from request to acceptance.
• The ABBAABBA rhyme scheme creates a sense of enclosure, mirroring the theme of containment in death.

Language and imagery:

• Gentle, intimate language ("my hand", "our future") contrasts with the finality of death.
• Imagery of "silent land" suggests a peaceful afterlife.

Significance:

• Explores the tension between love and loss, showing selflessness in releasing a loved one from grief.

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Song (When I am dead, my dearest) (1848)

In this poem, the speaker addresses a loved one, imagining their own death and urging them not to mourn with excessive rituals ("Plant thou no roses at my head"). They wish for natural continuity and happiness for the living.

Form and structure:

• Two stanzas of eight lines each, with a regular rhyme scheme (ABACBCBC), creating a song-like quality.
• The repetition of "dearest" reinforces intimacy.

Language and imagery:

• Nature imagery ("green grass", "showers and dewdrops") suggests life's cycle continues after death.
• The tone is calm and resigned.

Significance:

• Reflects Rossetti's acceptance of mortality and desire to ease others' pain, blending personal and spiritual elements.

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In the Round Tower at Jhansi, June 8, 1857 (1858)

This dramatic monologue is inspired by the Indian Rebellion of 1857. A British woman, facing imminent death with her husband during a siege, chooses to die by his side rather than be captured ("My hands on flame, and my flesh charred").

Form and structure:

• Short, intense stanzas with irregular rhyme, mirroring the chaos of the situation.
• The monologue form creates immediacy.

Language and imagery:

• Violent imagery ("sword and flame", "blood for blood") conveys brutality.
• Tender dialogue ("Kiss me once more") shows enduring love.

Significance:

• Highlights themes of sacrifice and loyalty, set against a historical tragedy, reflecting Rossetti's interest in intense emotional states.

Thematic connections

Rossetti's poetry often interweaves recurring themes, allowing for rich comparisons across her works. Below are some central themes and how they manifest.

Love and longing

• Romantic and familial love - In Goblin Market, love is shown through Lizzie's sacrifice for Laura, while Remember and Song depict romantic love transcending death with a focus on selflessness.
• Unfulfilled longing - Many poems hint at desires restrained by duty or circumstance, reflecting Rossetti's own life choices. Laura's craving for goblin fruit symbolises forbidden longing.
• Contrast - Love in Rossetti's work is often bittersweet, paired with loss or separation, as seen in the parting in In the Round Tower at Jhansi.

Faith and redemption

• Spiritual struggle - Rossetti's Anglican faith appears in her focus on sin and salvation. Goblin Market can be read as a Christian allegory, with Lizzie as a Christ-like figure.
• Acceptance of divine will - In Remember and Song, death is not feared but accepted as part of a spiritual journey, showing trust in a higher power.
• Contrast - While faith offers comfort in Song, it is tested by temptation and suffering in Goblin Market, showing its complexity.

Identity and gender

• Female experience - Rossetti often writes from a female perspective, exploring societal constraints. Lizzie and Laura in Goblin Market navigate danger and desire in a male-dominated world.
• Strength and sacrifice - Female characters frequently show resilience, as in Lizzie's bravery or the woman in In the Round Tower choosing death over dishonour.
• Contrast - Poems like Remember show quiet strength in resignation, while Goblin Market portrays active resistance, highlighting varied female identities.

Death and mortality

• Inevitable transition - Death is a constant presence, often portrayed as a release or reunion, as in Song ("Haply I may remember, / And haply may forget").
• Emotional impact - In Remember, the focus is on how death affects the living, while In the Round Tower dramatises death as a shared act of love.
• Contrast - Death is peaceful in Song and Remember, but violent and tragic in In the Round Tower, showing its many faces.

Poetic methods

Rossetti employs a range of poetic techniques to convey emotion and meaning. Her style is accessible yet layered.

Form and structure

• Variety of forms - Rossetti uses traditional forms like the sonnet (Remember) for emotional containment and narrative forms (Goblin Market) for storytelling.
• Repetition and rhythm - Repetitive phrases like "Come buy, come buy" in Goblin Market create a chant-like effect, drawing readers into the goblins' lure. Regular rhyme in Song gives a soothing, hymn-like quality.
• Shifts and breaks - Structural shifts, such as the octave-sestet turn in Remember, often mirror emotional or thematic changes.

Language and imagery

• Nature imagery - Frequently used to symbolise life, temptation, or renewal. In Goblin Market, fruits are seductive yet dangerous; in Song, grass and dewdrops suggest nature's indifference to death.
• Religious imagery - Biblical references abound, especially in Goblin Market, where fruit recalls the Garden of Eden, and Lizzie's endurance mirrors Christ's suffering.
• Sensory language - Vivid descriptions engage the senses, as in Goblin Market ("Sweet to tongue and sound to eye"), enhancing emotional impact.

Symbolism

• Fruit in Goblin Market - Represents forbidden desire or sin, linking to Eve's apple and exploring temptation.
• Death as a journey - In Remember, the "silent land" symbolises an unknown but peaceful afterlife, reflecting Rossetti's faith.
• Fire and blood in In the Round Tower - Symbolise destruction but also purification through sacrifice, tying to themes of loyalty.

Key quotations summary