Choice reviews Christina Rossetti

R.D. Morrison, Morehead Stat University

In this unique and insightful study, Kooistra (Nipissing Univ., Canada) focuses on the multifaceted roles illustration has played in the production and reception of Rossetti's poetry, devotional prose, and children's books, both in Victorian editions and in the numerous reprints that appeared throughout the 20 th century. Kooistra presents convincing biographical evidence that "Rossetti's methods of production were informed by visual-verbal practices at all stages of her creative work," and Kooistra uses a "materialistic hermeneutic" that aids her in tracing the ways in which 19 th- and 20 th-century publishers have packaged Rossetti as a religious writer, a children's author, even an erotic writer. A final chapter examines the ways in which painters, dramatists, and Web designers have helped shape Rossetti's place in literary history and popular culture. This book is beautifully illustrated, with 16 color plates and numerous black-and-white prints. Also author of The Artist as Critic: Bitextuality in Fin-de-Siècle Illustrated Books (1995) and coeditor (with Mary Arseneau and Anthony Harrison) of The Culture of Christina Rossetti: Female Poetics and Victorian Contexts (1999), Kooistra maintains a clear and effective prose style, and her work is meticulously researched with highly detailed notes. Summing up: Essential. All Levels.

Choice
September 2003