Christina Rossetti: From the Antique Flashcards
When was the Married Women’s Property Act passed in Britain? What difference did it make to women’s financial independence?
1870
Before this act was passed, any money made by a woman (either through a wage, from investment, by gift, or through inheritance) instantly became the property of her husband once she was married, with the exception of a dowry. The dowry provided by a bride’s father was to be used for his daughter’s financial support throughout her married life and into her widowhood, and also a means by which the bride’s father was able to obtain from the bridegroom’s father a financial commitment to the intended marriage and to the children resulting therefrom. Thus, the identity of the wife became legally absorbed into that of her husband, effectively making them one person under the law.
What was the name of the movement begun by women in the 19th century and what was the purpose of the movement?
The Suffragette movement began during the 19th century; women campaigned for suffrage (the right to vote) but also sought more independence in a firmly patriarchal society, including the right to work in a wider variety of jobs and to be granted the right to a full education, up to university level, as boys and men were.
Name the two associations which were established in the mid-19th century to help women achieve more independence
The English Woman’s Journal (est. 1858)- the periodical magazine mainly covered issues such as female employment and equality. It was the first magazine in Britain to have an all-female workforce.
The Society for Promoting the Employment of Women, aka SPEW (est. 1859)- a society established to open up new areas of employment for women and improve the very low standards of education that young girls received at the time.
Why is life “doubly blank in a woman’s lot”?
Whilst life was restrictive for both men and women because of the rigid social structure of the Victorian era, it was twice as bleak for women because society was patriarchal and so women were expected to be subordinate to men. They had less opportunities and far less freedom, and were expected to remain the property of their fathers until they became wives.
The third line of the poem states: “I wish and I wish I were a man”. What structure is used here and why?
A syndetic structure is used by Rossetti here which is commonly seen in fairytales. This could imply that the female speaker’s wish is, like a fairytale, fantastical and unattainable, as she will never become a man.
What Freudian theory could be applied to this poem?
A Freudian theorist may argue that the female speaker (and by association Rossetti) may be experiencing penis envy. The speaker “wishes and wishes” to be a man because of the patriarchal power they hold in society that she can never equal.
What personal reasons might have influenced Rossetti to write this poem?
Rossetti had recently been rejected from volunteering as a nurse in the Crimean War. Her application was rejected by the War Office because she was considered too young, at 24- ironic considering men as young as 18 could enlist to fight. Therefore, the idea for this poem may have been born out of personal frustration
The poem has a cyclical structure, with the word “weary” included in both the first and last lines. What is the impact of this?
Rossetti may have included a cyclical structure to reflect the cyclical nature of social inequality, particularly when it came to gender. Perhaps she is trying to suggest that nothing will ever change for women- this could also relate to the title “From the Antique”, which could imply that the oppression of women has been an ever-present issue across the ages.
The poem was published posthumously- what does this mean?
The poem was published after Rossetti died (posthumously), by her brother William Michael. This may well have been because Rossetti did not want to become an advocate for women’s rights or female suffrage.
Why were Rossetti’s views on women considered “complex and contradictory”?
Whilst Rossetti believed there should be more female representation in parliament and felt strongly about preventing the sexual exploitation of women in prostitution (most likely because of her volunteer work at the St Mary Magdalene House for Fallen Women), she did not believe in female suffrage and even went as far as to sign the Anti-Suffrage Petition in 1889, using the biblical idea of female subordination to support her views on the topic.
