Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti was an English poet that lived in the 19th Century. She wrote many different things, including childrens nursery rhymes and other poetry with more adult symbolism. A lot of her poetry, especially the poems for children centre around nature and have religious aspects. This is because Christina herself was a devout Christian so her poetry was often influenced by her religious views. For example one of her most famous poems called 'Goblin Market' shows similarities with the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the poem was said to be a mere fairy tale for children at the time, it seems to have more adult themes throughout and contains hints of sexual imagery. Some call it a tale of repressed sexuality and sisterhood. However Rossetti never preached,  but showed her views on the tensions between earthly passions and divine love of God.

 Other poems of hers are centred around romance and are quite morbid. Christina herself was engaged but never married, on religous grounds. In some of her work she shows intense feelings about love and relationships.

Rossetti is also considered to be one of the great female poets of the Victorian era because of the way her poems portray women. She was a big believer in feminism and believed that women should have equal rights etc. She volunteered for ten years at St Mary Magdalene's penitentiary for prostitutes and unmarried mothers in Highgate.

In the later years of her life Rossetti got Graves disease and it took it's toll on her life. Some of her last poems contain the reacurring theme of the loss of beauty.

She died in 1894.