Rossetti - Context

- Daughter of Gabriele Rossetti (patriotic poet, scholar and professor of Italian) and Frances Rossetti.

- Youngest of four / her brothers were the founders of the Pre-Raphelite movement.

- She presented herself as a recluse who shunned fame.

- Mid-teens -> suffered emotional + spiritual trauma that made her decide to give up all pleasurable things in life = experienced little of society outside her family.

- She volunteered at Highgate Penitentiary, a home that aimed to rescue fallen women (sex workers).

- She was a devout Anglican. / - She rejected two proposals due to religious differences. 

- Losses in family + illness = increasingly reluctant to go out into society.

- She had Graves' disease = pale skin + bulging eyes. -> she dedicated her life writing devotional works that promoted Christian knowledge.

- She was a devout Anglican and she lived a quiet and pious life.

- She was never interested in politics.

- She was dedicated to campaigning on behalf of social issues e.g the anti-vivisection movement and the Protection of the Ministers Bill (aimed to end child prostitution by raising the age of consent from 13 to 16).

- However, she was not a feminist. Webster asked for her support for the 1878 suffrage bill, Rossetti was reluctant as it challenged her religious beliefs.:

-> Bible emphasised there is a clear distinction between men and women = women are subordinate.

-> She believed in a 'barrier of sex' which prevented advancements in women's rights. 

Rossetti wrote poetry during the Victorian period.

Angel of the House + the sexes occupy different 'spheres'. 

Conservative legal practises governed marriages in England e.g:

- Unmarried women (spinsters) were their father's legal ward. Men became adults at the age of 21 whereas women were not adults until they married.

Once engaged, women could not make certain decisions without the permission of their spouse. Engagements were legal contracts, breaking them risked being sued.

Before getting married, the males in the families would negotiate between themselves with lawyers on marriage settlements e.g dowries.

Husbands controlled their wives' coverture e.g they could not own property, make money or write their own wills. Wives could not sign contracts or sue.

The Married Women's Acts (1870, 1882) damaged coverture and gave women some control over their money, property + allowed them to take part in suits.