著者

牛山 通子

出版者

英米文化学会

雑誌

英米文化 (ISSN:09173536)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.49, pp.43-62, 2019-03-31 (Released:2019-09-11)

参考文献数

28

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Christina Rossetti (1830–94) is one of the most significant women poets of the Victorian era. When she was a child, she used to spend enjoyable times at her maternal grandfather’s cottage at Holmer Green in Buckinghamshire, where she communed with nature and gained practical knowledge about animals, plants and other natural phenomena. The experience in the countryside left an indelible memory in her life. Afterward Rossetti published Sing-Song:A Nursery Rhyme Book (1872) that reflected her pleasant memories. Even when she lived in London, she sought out the nature in urban life and observed various kinds of plants and animals she liked.Gilbert White’s The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne 1789, was widely read in the Victorian era. Due to this influential book, Victorian natural history was no longer for professionals only but was also open to amateur naturalists who had an intellectual curiosity. Rossetti seems to be one of those people. Moreover she had two remarkable inspirations in her life that influenced her to write natural poems. One is Pre-Raphaelitism, the art movement that her brothers established with their art students, and the other is Christianity. When Rossetti was young, she took part in the Oxford Movement with her mother and sister. I will discuss the relationship between Victorian natural history and Christina Rossetti’s works from the perspective of the influence of Pre-Raphaelitism and Christianity.