Rossetti Critics with complete solutions
Rossetti's "'hope' for meaning and clarity
Rossetti's "'hope' for meaning and clarity and completeness must be 'deferred' until she
can escape from the self-destructive cycles of worldly existence." — Sullivan
FEMININITY / ROLE OF WOMEN
FEMININITY / ROLE OF WOMEN
"Rossetti wrote poems that give
"Rossetti wrote poems that give a vibrant voice to the female experience despite
Rossetti living the life of a Victorian lady, who were denied the social and economic
freedoms enjoyed by men." — Mold
"By rejecting a potential suitor, the speaker
"By rejecting a potential suitor, the speaker asserts the right to say 'no'. We 'hear' some
of his thoughts but the suitor isn't given a voice showing the power dynamic as she
turns his argument against him with un-flawed logic." — Simon Avery on 'No, Thank
You John'
"Her views may not always be
"Her views may not always be 'radical' as such, but they are usually far from
conservative and often questioning, challenging and potentially subversive." — Simon
Avery
"Rossetti has radically rewritten the Fall of Eve in terms of
"Rossetti has radically rewritten the Fall of Eve in terms of the social and spiritual abuse
of women which she sees around her and includes more than a hint that male gender
oppression be interpreted as original sin." — Lynda Palazzo on 'Goblin Market'
In their 1979 feminist study of nineteenth century women's literature, The
In their 1979 feminist study of nineteenth century women's literature, The Madwoman in
the Attic, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gilbar recognise the factors that prevented a
Victorian woman from standing on equal terms to their male contemporaries. They
suggest that Rossetti is among the "singers of renunciation" of her time and argue that
she willingly accepts the state of destitution into which she is cast. They emphasise how
the culture of patriarchy curbed her passions and meant that she was not the powerful
female role model that she had the potential to become.
SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS
SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS
"Rossetti asks the reader to
"Rossetti asks the reader to repeatedly to forget she assures remembrance. This
technique of denying in order to affirm is called apophasis. It is a technique used to
create ambiguity so Rossetti is covering herself against the charges of ungodly and
unfeminine discontent." — Barbara Modern on 'Remember'
"Repetition and parallelism of the
"Repetition and parallelism of the first stanza construct an emotional assemblage of
sheer elation... The ambiguity of the poem offers spiritual and secular possibilities." —
Barbara Modern on 'A Birthday'
A "prophetic" critique of Victorian
A "prophetic" critique of Victorian marriage markets. For him, the poem is designed to
convey "the need for an alternative social order." — McGann (on Goblin Market)
Rossetti's "'hope' for meaning and clarity
Rossetti's "'hope' for meaning and clarity and completeness must be 'deferred' until she
can escape from the self-destructive cycles of worldly existence." — Sullivan
FEMININITY / ROLE OF WOMEN
FEMININITY / ROLE OF WOMEN
"Rossetti wrote poems that give
"Rossetti wrote poems that give a vibrant voice to the female experience despite
Rossetti living the life of a Victorian lady, who were denied the social and economic
freedoms enjoyed by men." — Mold
"By rejecting a potential suitor, the speaker
"By rejecting a potential suitor, the speaker asserts the right to say 'no'. We 'hear' some
of his thoughts but the suitor isn't given a voice showing the power dynamic as she
turns his argument against him with un-flawed logic." — Simon Avery on 'No, Thank
You John'
"Her views may not always be
"Her views may not always be 'radical' as such, but they are usually far from
conservative and often questioning, challenging and potentially subversive." — Simon
Avery
"Rossetti has radically rewritten the Fall of Eve in terms of
"Rossetti has radically rewritten the Fall of Eve in terms of the social and spiritual abuse
of women which she sees around her and includes more than a hint that male gender
oppression be interpreted as original sin." — Lynda Palazzo on 'Goblin Market'
In their 1979 feminist study of nineteenth century women's literature, The
In their 1979 feminist study of nineteenth century women's literature, The Madwoman in
the Attic, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gilbar recognise the factors that prevented a
Victorian woman from standing on equal terms to their male contemporaries. They
suggest that Rossetti is among the "singers of renunciation" of her time and argue that
she willingly accepts the state of destitution into which she is cast. They emphasise how
the culture of patriarchy curbed her passions and meant that she was not the powerful
female role model that she had the potential to become.
SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS
SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS
"Rossetti asks the reader to
"Rossetti asks the reader to repeatedly to forget she assures remembrance. This
technique of denying in order to affirm is called apophasis. It is a technique used to
create ambiguity so Rossetti is covering herself against the charges of ungodly and
unfeminine discontent." — Barbara Modern on 'Remember'
"Repetition and parallelism of the
"Repetition and parallelism of the first stanza construct an emotional assemblage of
sheer elation... The ambiguity of the poem offers spiritual and secular possibilities." —
Barbara Modern on 'A Birthday'
A "prophetic" critique of Victorian
A "prophetic" critique of Victorian marriage markets. For him, the poem is designed to
convey "the need for an alternative social order." — McGann (on Goblin Market)
