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Christina Rossetti’s claim to fame was through a narrative poem called “Goblin Market” (1862). Fruit-selling goblins bargaining with maidens is a striking visual for one of the celebrated writings of the Victorian age. The dream vision of a haunted but lavish city in “The Dead City” echoes a unique urban phantasmagoria. As a sister to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Rossetti was not only enamoured with aesthetics but she was also grappling with mortality. Being part of an artistic and intellectual Italian family also meant that her genius was discovered early and was constantly being polished. At the heart of her poetry, one can also find piety as a driving force.
This seminar is therefore a gentle investigation on Rossetti’s delightful poems, sober writings and rough sketches. We will also look at how her relationship with avant-garde art flourished in 19th century London. There is no set text for the seminar. You will receive handouts that you will have to prepare and annotate beforehand. The focus on verse and visual will enable you to read and interpret “a body of text” in different formats. You will have the chance to engage in intertextuality and identify creative influences. Poetic conventions will be a core element of this seminar. Hence, you will achieve a sound knowledge of Victorian poetics and aesthetics.
Preliminary reading:
- Christina Rossetti’s biography by Lindsay Duguid (ODNB)
- Virginia Woolf, 'I am Christina Rossetti' (1930), published in Virginia Woolf, The Common Reader, Second Series (1935)
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