Christina Rossetti

Rossetti, Christina Georgina

Christina Georgina Rossetti (rōsĕt´ē), 1830–94, English poet; sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Publication of some of her poems in her brother William's magazine the Germ was her only contribution to Pre-Raphaelite activities. She was a devout Anglican and lived the last ...

Rossetti, Christina Georgina

Christina Georgina Rossetti (rōsĕt´ē), 1830–94, English poet; sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Publication of some of her poems in her brother William's magazine the Germ was her only contribution to Pre-Raphaelite activities. She was a devout Anglican and lived the last 15 years of her life as a recluse in her home. Many of her poems are religious, some melancholy and death-obsessed, e.g., "Uphill" and "When I Am Dead, My Dearest." Possessing a spontaneous lyrical gift, she had a firm command of traditional poetic forms. Much of her work shows a marked moral intelligence and independence of spirit, and she is recognized as an important Victorian-era poet. Her simple songs, especially in Sing-Song (1872), were favorites with children. Her volumes of poetry include Goblin Market and Other Poems (1862), probably her best work; The Prince's Progress (1866); and A Pageant and Other Poems (1881).

See Christina Rossetti: A Writer's Life (1995); studies by E. K. Charles (1985), D. Rosenblum (1986), A. H. Harrison (1988), and D. A. Kent, ed. (1988).