Rossetti - Biographical Context Flashcards
What is Rossetti’s family history? (5 points)
Christina Georgina Rossetti was born in London on 5th December 1830 - the youngest of four children
Christina grew up as a bilingual member of a household in which politically involved Italians would often come and have lively debates on political and artistic topics
Christina’s sister, Maria, was the eldest child and a gifted scholar - being able to read and write both English and Italian by the age of five
The elder son, Gabriel, who was later to be known by a middle name, Dante, leaned towards drawing and painting
Christina herself seems to have had something of Gabriel’s volatility, their father calling them the two storms, in comparison with the two calms, Maria and William
What was Christina Rossetti’s relationship with her family? (3 points)
Christina was always devoted to her family, even when these ties proved trying or burdensome
When her father was severely ill and almost blind, Christina, in her teens, was his main carer, while her mother worked as a governess to bring in an income
In 1876, Christina and her mother moved to a new house, living with two aunts, with Christina effectively being responsible for these three ageing ladies, despite increasing problems with her own health
What was Rossetti’s experience with illness? (3 points)
During adolescence, Christina suffered from a variety of ailments, which seem to have been largely psychosomatic
At 14, she was diagnosed with religious mania after a nervous breakdown
She suffered from Graves disease for nearly 20 years and eventually died of breast cancer in 1894
What is the origin of Christina Rossetti’s fascination with nature? (3 points)
She developed a deep love of the natural world
through spending the holidays with her maternal grandparents in Buckinghamshire
This was complemented by her visits to the zoo at Regents Park when back in the city.
A trip to Lake Como, Milan, Verona and various smaller cities in the north of Italy with her mother and brother William had a profound impression on her
How did Christina Rossetti become related to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood? (3 points)
Her brother Dante Gabriel’s artistic tendencies led to him becoming a founder of the Brotherhood
They were a group of English painters who looked to challenge the classical influences of Raphael, the Italian Renaissance painter, and his successors and to return to earlier influences
They loved intense colours and often found inspiration in medieval culture and Romantic poetry
What was Rossetti’s first proper relationship like? (4 points)
Her first deep relationship was with James Collinson, a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and thus a colleague of Dante Gabriel
Collinson had worshipped at the same Anglican church as Christina but converted to Catholicism shortly before joining the Brotherhood
Christina, at age 17, rejected his proposal because of their difference in religion - Collinson re-joined the Anglican communion and his second proposal in 1848 was accepted
However, she broke off the engagement after Collinson re-converted to Catholicism before they married
What was Rossetti’s second relationship like? (3 points)
Her second involvement was with Charles Cayley, whom she had known as a family friend for some years - he studied Italian with her father
Though a figure of fun to some because of his absent-mindedness and dishevelled appearance, his relationship with Christina developed into a warm intimate mutual regard over a number of years
However, Rossetti rejected him as a husband due to him being agnostic - they were close friends until his death
What is Rossetti’s political history? (3 points)
Christina was not particularly interested or involved in political ideas or movements but showed an active concern for those less fortunate than herself
In 1854, she volunteered to work as a nurse in the Crimean War but was not accepted because she was regarded as being too young
During her twenties, she performed voluntary work for the St Mary Magdalene Penitentiary, caring for so-called ‘fallen women’ and later worked for many years in a similar capacity for the House of Charity at Highgate
What were Rossetti’s beliefs about women in society? (3 points)
Many of Rossetti’s poems express distaste for the double standards of the time, particularly regarding sexual morality - disliked the presentation of women as either ‘Angel of the House’ or ‘temptress’
She had a particularly progressive view that a mistake or sexual misdemeanour should not condemn a woman for the rest of her life
In 1870, Rossetti was asked to support a campaign to give women the vote - refused based on her beliefs about the role and responsibility of women (equal but different)
What is Rossetti’s religious history? (4 points)
The Rossetti children were brought up as Anglicans, specifically Tractarians – a branch of Christianity that emphasizes ritual and ceremony in worship
Rossetti believed that all individuals can be assured of their place in heaven after death
She read and studied the Bible
Rossetti was writing at a time when Darwin’s ideas were being explored - has no engagement with the conflict between science and religion
