Meet the Author
Christina Rossetti
English · 1830–1894 · Poet
Portrait: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A London poet of Italian descent, known for Goblin Market, devotional verse, and spare lyrics about love, death, and memory.
1 StoryBites Edition1 Poem
Why read Christina Rossetti?
Rossetti writes in plain words and strict forms, and her calm tone often hides a sharp turn. Remember is a sonnet in which a speaker facing death first asks to be remembered, then releases the listener from grief. Read her for control of form and for the way a single turn can reverse a poem’s request.
A life in six dates
- 1830Born in London
- 1848Her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti co-founds the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
- 1850Publishes poems in The Germ under the name Ellen Alleyne
- 1862Publishes Goblin Market and Other Poems, including Remember
- 1866Publishes The Prince’s Progress and Other Poems
- 1894Dies in London
Themes across the work
The StoryBites Editions
Context that actually matters
The Pre-RaphaelitesHer brother Dante Gabriel co-founded this circle of artists and writers, and Christina sat as a model for some of his paintings.
Victorian religionRossetti was a devout Anglican shaped by the High Church Oxford Movement, and faith runs through much of her poetry.
The Petrarchan sonnetRemember follows the Italian sonnet’s octave and sestet, and the turn between them carries its change of heart.