Christina Rossetti
1830–1894
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Christina Rossetti grew up inside the Pre-Raphaelite revolution: her brother was Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and she modeled for his paintings and for Millais's. But her own art was words, and her Goblin Market and Other Poems (1862) announced one of the century's most original poetic voices.
Goblin Market — the eerie, luscious ballad of two sisters, forbidden fruit and a rescue — is the Victorian poem that keeps getting reinterpreted: as fairy tale, as feminist parable, as Christian allegory. Her shorter lyrics, like "Remember" and "When I am dead, my dearest," are among the most anthologized poems in English.
She never married, lived devoutly as an Anglican, and refused — on religious grounds — to sit for nude paintings and to marry beneath her faith. Her poem "In the Bleak Midwinter" (1872), set to music by Gustav Holst, became one of the best-loved Christmas carols ever written.
Frequently asked
What is Goblin Market about?
Goblin Market (1862) is an eerie, luscious ballad of two sisters, forbidden fruit and a rescue — the Victorian poem that keeps getting reinterpreted as fairy tale, feminist parable and Christian allegory.
Did Christina Rossetti write any Christmas carols?
Yes — her poem "In the Bleak Midwinter" (1872), set to music by Gustav Holst, became one of the best-loved Christmas carols ever written.
What was Christina Rossetti's connection to the Pre-Raphaelites?
Her brother was Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the movement's leading painter, and she modeled for his paintings and for Millais's — but her own art was poetry, and she is now considered the greatest Victorian woman poet of her generation.
Why it matters today
Rossetti's fusion of sensuous imagery and religious devotion made her the Victorian poet modern readers keep rediscovering — Goblin Market is a staple of feminist and queer readings, and "In the Bleak Midwinter" is sung in churches every December.
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