Speed reading: Michael Glover loves poets old and new
A settled air of graveward-inclining sadness hangs over the poetry of Christina Rossetti in this New Selected Poems (Carcanet Classics, £12.99; Tablet price £11.69).
A settled air of graveward-inclining sadness hangs over the poetry of Christina Rossetti in this New Selected Poems (Carcanet Classics, £12.99; Tablet price £11.69). We glimpse her in studied Victorian photographic portraits, dressed up to the neck in heavy fabrics, wrapped about in her solitariness. She longs, in all this yearning, to be relieved of it all. Her eyes rise in the direction of heaven. Her poems are rhythmically steady, unwavering. Not entirely though. The book begins with a long extract from “Goblin Market”, a dashed off gobbet of breathlessly youthful fantasy, skipping, frantic, near demonic in its flirtations with the idea of, oh my dear, sex.
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £37.50 quarterly
Print copy of The Tablet delivered directly to your door.
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
Access to the weekly digital copy of The Tablet.
Full access to The Tablet’s archive – over 180 years of back issues.
Already a subscriber? Login
Help us keep The Tablet’s voice independent, clear and far-reaching.
Founded in 1840, The Tablet is the leading independent English-language Catholic weekly, celebrated for great writing, astute analysis, brilliant arts and books reviews and trustworthy reporting from correspondents in Britain, Ireland, Rome and across the world.
Independent, high-quality journalism is at the heart of what we do. The Tablet does not have deep pockets and we are not funded by rich donors. If you appreciate our work please consider supporting The Tablet’s Development Fund. It only takes a moment and you can cancel at any time.
- Support with £5 per month
- Support with £10 per month
- Support with other amount.
