Christina Rossetti
English poet of romantic and devotional verse.
Christina Georgina Rossetti, born in London on 5 December 1830 and dying there on 29 December 1894, wrote romantic and devotional poetry, most famously "Goblin Market" and "Remember." She was the youngest sibling of the painter-poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and appears in several of his works, including *Ecce Ancilla Domini!* (1850). Her early verse, "Goblin Market" among it, took cues from the Pre-Raphaelite movement. She also penned the lyrics for two Christmas carols still widely sung in Britain: "In the Bleak Midwinter," later set to music by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke, and "Love Came Down at Christmas," which Darke and others also put to music. Her poetry left its mark on writers like Ford Madox Ford, Virginia Woolf, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Elizabeth Jennings, and Philip Larkin. Throughout her life, Christina struggled with poor health and depression. She never married, turning down three proposals, and instead focused her energy on poetry and her religious faith.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Birth Date
- 1830-12-05
- Birth Place
- London, England
- Death Date
- 1894-12-29
- Occupation
- Poet
- Movement
- Pre-Raphaelite
- Notable Works
- Goblin Market; lyrical poems; hymns
- Parents
- Gabriele Rossetti · Frances Polidori
- Relatives
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti (brother) · Maria Francesca Rossetti (sister) · William Michael Rossetti (brother) · Gaetano Polidori (maternal grandfather) · John William Polidori (maternal uncle)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Christina Rossetti was born in London to Gabriele Rossetti, a poet and political exile from Italy, and Frances Polidori. She was the youngest of four children, raised in the Protestant faith. Her early life was marked by a close relationship with her siblings, with whom she produced a family magazine called the Hodge Podge. She was educated at home, reading religious works, classics, fairy tales, and novels, and was influenced by Italian writers such as Dante Alighieri and Petrarch.
In the 1840s, the family faced financial troubles after her father's health declined. Christina suffered a nervous breakdown at age 14 and experienced bouts of depression throughout her life. She became engaged to painter James Collinson but ended the engagement in 1850 when he reverted to Catholicism. She never married, despite receiving three offers, and devoted her life to her poetry and religious faith.
Christina sat for several of her brother's paintings, including Ecce Ancilla Domini! (1850). Her first commercially printed collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems, was published in 1862. The title poem has been interpreted in various ways, including as an allegory of temptation and salvation. She also worked as a volunteer at a refuge for fallen women in Highgate from 1859 to 1870.
Reader's Guide
Christina Rossetti's significance lies in her distinctive poetic voice, which blended romantic and devotional themes. Her work was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and she in turn influenced later writers such as Gerard Manley Hopkins, Virginia Woolf, and Philip Larkin. Her poem 'Goblin Market' remains one of her most studied works, with critics offering diverse interpretations ranging from religious allegory to commentary on gender roles. Her two Christmas carols, 'In the Bleak Midwinter' and 'Love Came Down at Christmas', have become staples of British carol singing, set to music by composers including Gustav Holst and Harold Darke. Despite lifelong ill health and depression, Rossetti maintained a prolific output and a wide circle of literary friends. Her legacy endures as a major Victorian poet whose work continues to be read, analyzed, and set to music.
Did You Know?
- Christina Rossetti dictated her first story to her mother before she learned to write.
- She used the pseudonym 'Ellen Alleyn' in the literary periodical The Germ.
- Her poem 'In the Bleak Midwinter' was later set to music by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Christina Rossetti?
Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894) was an English poet best known for her romantic and devotional verse. She was the youngest sibling of the painter-poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished women poets of the Victorian era.
What are Christina Rossetti's most famous works?
Her signature poems include the narrative "Goblin Market" and the elegy "Remember," both of which remain staples of the English poetry canon. She also penned the lyrics for the Christmas carols "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "Love Came Down at Christmas," still widely sung in Britain.
How was Christina Rossetti connected to the Pre-Raphaelite movement?
Her early verse, including "Goblin Market," drew heavily on Pre-Raphaelite imagery and sensibility. She also served as the model for her brother Dante Gabriel's 1850 painting *Ecce Ancilla Domini!*, linking her directly to the circle's visual art.
How did Christina Rossetti's life end?
Rossetti died in London on 29 December 1894, a few weeks before her sixty-fourth birthday. Her later years were marked by declining health, yet her reputation as a poet had already been firmly established by the 1880s.
Why is Christina Rossetti still important to readers today?
Her blend of lyrical beauty, spiritual depth, and narrative imagination set a benchmark for Victorian women writers and continues to be anthologized worldwide. The enduring popularity of her two Christmas carol lyrics, with musical settings by composers such as Gustav Holst and Harold Darke, keeps her voice alive in everyday British culture.
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