Christina Rossetti
Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) was an English poet whose devotional lyrics and narrative poems include “Goblin Market” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
Goblin Market: A narrative poem by Christina Rossetti about two sisters, temptation, and rescue from goblin fruit. Its sensuous language and sisterly rescue make it her best-known long poem.
Remember (poem): A sonnet by Christina Rossetti in which a speaker asks a beloved to remember her after death, then releases that demand. Its turn from remembrance toward selfless forgetting typifies her emotional restraint.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti: An English poet and painter, and a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Her elder brother was a central figure in the artistic circle around her early work.
Christmas carol: A song associated with the celebration of Christmas, often with a Christian text. Her Christmas poem became a widely performed carol through musical settings.
Victorian women's writing: Literature written by women in Britain during the Victorian era. Rossetti’s career reveals both the reach and restrictions facing women writers.
In the Bleak Midwinter: A Christmas poem by Christina Rossetti, later set to music by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke. Its spare devotional lyric became one of her most familiar works.
When I am dead, my dearest: A lyric poem by Christina Rossetti in which a speaker imagines being forgotten after death. The poem offers a quieter, less possessive counterpart to “Remember.”
Maria Francesca Rossetti: An English writer and Anglican nun who was Christina Rossetti’s elder sister. Her sister’s religious life illuminates the family’s sustained Anglican commitments.
Harold Darke: An English composer and organist best known for his setting of “In the Bleak Midwinter.” His choral setting helped establish the poem in church and concert repertoires.
Christian devotional poetry: Poetry expressing prayer, worship, religious instruction, or reflection on Christian belief. Her devotional lyrics unite formal control with intense spiritual longing.