Radio 4 - Christina Rossetti

After listening to the programme on Christina Rossetti, I gathered a few notations that I found particularly interesting.

·         Her family had strong Italian routes and her father was a Professor of Italian and her mother had strong literacy connections which had a big impact on Rossetti. Her childhood also influenced her to write due to the exposure of fairy tales and ballads.

·         She was not a feminist as she had a strong sense of Church hierarchy which allowed her to be very faithful, but she did use her religion to portray women in a very empowering way. Also, when things appear to be secular they are infused with religiosity and her work involves intense experiences that perhaps link in with her past.

·         A lot of her work focused on mysteries and secrets which is ripe for people who want to reveal secrets and this was highlighted in the discussion and she only gives you half the verse so she expects the reader to fill in the second half.

·         In the poem “Goblin Market”, Lizzie goes back to her sister and restores her and this part in the poem could be described as lascivious and it is used for all sorts of illustrations; graphic and lesbian. The poem also focuses around the two sisters which allows us to explore the availabilities of roles for women.

Marie Antoinette, also known as "DE OTHA BITCH"

So der was dis gal marie who was well fit who fort that her desnity n all dhat was to be the queen of france or sum other city or sumit. Dis sugga ting den started slaggin it up n got tied to sum lad who was a price or sumit when she was 15, megga slag deya, n den dis price or sumit was whipped lyk a mc flurry ygm coz dey den tied de not n ting.


Peeps was den slaggin her off coz she was well out ov order 2 her bitches n tht n she fort she woz all dhat coz she woz now a well royal sugga ting wid her bitches. De peeps den got de shank knifez n megga glocks n ting n went to deya crib n shizzle den started 2 agwarn. Sugga ting n de king den wnted 2 jog off 2 sum place lyk pussy oles but dey didnt 4 sme reason n den austria n sme otha well ard cuntry wanted 2 kick de shiz out ov france coz sugga ting woz bein well 2 faced.


Sugga ting n her royal family den got thrown in de pen n sugga ting den got well slagged off by ppl n one ov her bitches den got scilenced coz ov connections ygm. Sugga tingz lil 1s den got taken away n one ov em got scilenced 2 coz he stopped eatin.. malutrition kmt.


Sugga ting den stalked de king lyk a physco n den she got finally got scilenced.


R.I.P sugga ting.

How does Austen create her characters in Chapter 11?

As you read further into the book 'Pride and Prejudice', you soon realise that there is very little description of the characters and where it does appear it serves to highlight some element of the character. You may then conclude from this that it is not the appearance of the characters that interests Austen, but their moral qualities and we can form our own opinions of the characters through not only their external elements such as their appearance, name and actions, but by also taking into consideration their internal elements such as their motives, what they think and what the narrator says. In chapter 11, Austen creates her characters by drawing awareness to these elements using numerous amounts of effective methods.

In the first paragraph, Elizabeth’s opinions about her two friends are shown through the narrator’s voice as the narrator informs us that she had "never seen them so agreeable". This supports the argument that Elizabeth is the centre of thought throughout the book so that it grants authority to her opinion and allows the reader to stay with her. Also, differences between the three men are shown when it says that Darcy addressed himself "with a polite congratulation" and Mr Hurst "also made her a slight bow", however "warmth remained for Bingley's salutation" and the word "but" highlights the informality that differentiates Mr Bingley from Mr Darcy and Mr Hurst as he has a very formal manner which contrasts with their informal approach.

Another character who is created in the Chapter is Miss Bingley who has a methodical plan and motives in securing Darcy by marrying him which is suggested when it says "she has obtained private intelligence that Mr Darcy did not wish for cards" and also when she mimics him in attempt to attract his attention: "Darcy took up a book; Miss Bingley did the same". The implication that she is only doing things for the motive of Mr Darcy continues to come across strongly as you read deeper into the chapter and, in comparison to Elizabeth, you may start to question her genuineness as she was "much engaged in watching Mr Darcy's progress through his book, as in reading her own" . Also, the fact that she felt "exhausted" as she was reading the book and yet she says "how pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way" shows us that she is hypocritical and Austen then allows the subjection of her foolish ways to mockery as she only chose the book she is reading because "it was the second volume of his".

Moreover, the interaction between the characters comes across as quite awkward at times due the silence created by not replying to each other comments, such as when "Miss Bingley made no reply" to her brother and "no one made any reply" to Miss Bingley. Also, Mr Darcy loses concentration in what he is doing when Elizabeth draws attention to herself which is shown when he "unconsciously closed his book". This is not what occurs when Miss Bingley attempts to gain his focus on what she is saying/doing, therefore underneath Mr Darcy must have an attraction towards her however Elizabeth does not feel this attraction towards him as she deliberately wants to him to feel disappointment: "our surest way of disappointing him, will be to ask nothing about it". This contrasts with Miss Bingley’s approach as she was "incapable of disappointing Mr Darcy".

Other notes

·         Austen uses a lack of attribution in the Chapter to show the level of interest that the characters have towards each other and how connected they are.

·         Character awareness – Mr Darcy starts to analyse his own character, which is shown when it says “my temper would perhaps be called resentful”, therefore he is becoming aware of who he is. However, he is also becoming aware of who Elizabeth is as the chapter finishes with “he began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention”, meaning that he is taking risks in order to get to know Elizabeth.

·         Elizabeth and Mr Darcy become flirtatious and focused on each other during the end of   the chapter which is shown when Mr Darcy mimics Elizabeth by saying “and your”. He also listens willingly to what she believes are his faults and then changes what he says for Elizabeth, which is implied when he pauses after “and pride”, showing that he allows her to change his mind.

Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose books, set among the English middle and upper classes, are notable for their wit, social observation and insights into the lives of early 19th century women.


Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in the village of Steventon in Hampshire. She was one of eight children of a clergyman and grew up in a close-knit family. She began to write as a teenager. In 1801 the family moved to Bath. After the death of Jane's father in 1805 Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother moved several times eventually settling in Chawton, near Steventon.


Jane's brother Henry helped her negotiate with a publisher and her first novel, 'Sense and Sensibility', appeared in 1811. Her next novel 'Pride and Prejudice', which she described as her "own darling child" received highly favourable reviews. 'Mansfield Park' was published in 1814, then 'Emma' in 1816. 'Emma' was dedicated to the prince regent, an admirer of her work. All of Jane Austen's novels were published anonymously.


In 1816, Jane began to suffer from ill-health, probably due to Addison's disease. She travelled to Winchester to receive treatment, and died there on 18 July 1817. Two more novels, 'Persuasion' and 'Northanger Abbey' were published posthumously and a final novel was left incomplete.


Jane’s novels reflect life in the world of the English country gentry as she herself had lived it and due to her amusing plots and the wit and irony of her style, her works have not been out of print since they were first published and she is consequently one of the best known and highly regarded authors in the English-speaking world.

Pride and Prejudice - Time line

Here is the link to my time line! http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/pride-and-prejudice--5 I copied most of it off the internet, but it gives me a clear understanding of what order the events come in the book. I hope it is okay!

The Convent Threshold

In my last English lesson i was introduced to another poem by Christina Rossetti known as "The Convent Threshold". After reading through the poem once, I was confused as to what the possible destinations and morals etc of the poem were. However, after sharing thoughts and looking at the poem in more depth and detail, I concluded a few ideas and suggestions that could be put forward when analysing the poem.

The poem is written in first person as the character is speaking directly to someone who she calls “my love”, showing that the poem is going to be very intimate and personal. Also, tension along with a sense of unease starts to build in the atmosphere as our present speaker confronts us with the fact that she is no longer innocent and pure by saying “my lily feet are soiled with mud”, showing that she has sinned. This also strengthens the argument that she believes Earth is her hell as the words that are used to suggest the fact that she is now impure and somewhat dirty are early therefore this could imply that Earth reminds her of her sin. The sin could be that she victimised and murdered someone, therefore when it says her feet are soiled with “mud” that is described as “scarlet” it could suggest the burial of her bloody murder and how she is continuously reminded of this incident. On the other hand, she might have had sex before marriage with the lover she is speaking with and she may strongly believe that this was a sin; therefore the theme of religion could then be brought into the poem.

As we read further into the poem, we discover that the character who is speaking wants to seek forgiveness and purify in heaven as Rossetti creates numerous amounts of heavenly imagery, such as when it says “of mansions” and “wake to sing”. She is desperate for her lover to repent with her so that they can be together for eternity in heaven, showing that she wants more than just her lifetime on Earth which suggests gluttony. She also believes that heaven will not be heaven without their love and that “paradise” cannot compare with the love they feel for each other, which is shown when it says “Or sit on steps of heaven alone?” However, her dream of their life in heaven contrasts with her lover’s dream as he is content on Earth and therefore rejects the girl when he says “find you a warmer playfellow” as in his eyes Earth is his idea of heaven; "your eyes look earthward, mine look up". This is ironic as I previously argued that she believes Earth is hell-like as it reminds her of her sin and the fact that he is happy with staying on Earth and will not repent suggests that his is not religious and does not believe he has sinned.

Furthermore, it could also be argued that there is a theme of redemption in the poem as it says that when they “stand safe within the door”, suggesting the door of heaven, he will “lift the veil” which shows that she wants them to get married in heaven so that she can be redeemed and forgiven for her sin which in this case is sex before marriage. However, heaven could just be her escapism or she may just be scared that her lover is going to replace her with another women therefore if he repents he will be hers for eternity and she will then be put at ease over the matter of replacement.

Cousin Kate

In my English lesson this week we discussed in class what a "fallen women" could represent. I suggested that a fallen women could be a women who has fallen into a man’s trap of sex and drugs or seduction, but as i was saying it i realised how feminist i sounded so i hope i didn't give off the wrong impression. On the other hand, other suggestions were mentioned that intrigued me, such as the term could represent a women who has fallen from heaven, therefore a women who is pure and innocent. The reason why we had this discussion was because it linked in with the new poem that we are beginning to analysis known as "Cousin Kate", which is also written by Christina Rossetti.


As we read through and annotated the poem it became clear to me why we were asked to explore ideas of what a fallen woman could suggest as the speaker in the poem is one herself. The feminine speaker "was a cottage maiden", therefore she was once innocent until she became victimised and something, or someone, changed her. Ever since then she has been discarded by society aswe discover in the second stanza that it was a man who "lured" her and convinced her into loving him which made her feel ashamed as she became a fallen women and therefore an outcast (someone who people disapprove of).


The speaker then starts to make the reader become aware of her emotions, which include jealousy towards the more beautiful “Cousin Kate” who has been “lifted” her from her low social status by the man she once loved and, perhaps, she may also feel regret as she wonders “why did a great lord find me out”. However, the ending of the poem is very effective and unpredictable as we comprehend the fact that she is differs from the traditional idea of the fallen women as she has gained a son, who is her “shame” but also her “pride”. She therefore has something that Cousin Kate will never have, which is suggested when it says “and seem not like to get” and makes us feel content for our speaker as although society believes she has committed a shameful sin, she is in control and has the care and love of her son to be gifted with.


I didn't really know what to write but i hope this is okay!