Gabriele Rossetti
Encyclopedia
Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti (28 February 1783, Vasto
, Abruzzo
– 24 April 1854) was an Italian poet and scholar who emigrated to England.
Born in Vasto
in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the original family of his ancestors was Della Guardia. Since many members of the Della Guardia family had red hair, they were given the nickname Rossetti approximately four generations before Gabriele's birth. Rossetti's support for Italian revolutionary nationalism forced him into political exile
in 1821.
in 1820. When the king revoked the constitution
in 1821, many supporters of the constitution were persecuted and forced into exile, and Rossetti then lived in Malta
for three years before settling in London in 1824. He held the post of Professor of Italian at King's College London
from 1831, as well as teaching Italian at King's College School
, until failing eyesight led to his retirement in 1847.
Rossetti's published works include literary criticism, Romantic poetry
such as his long poem Il veggente in solitudine of 1846, and his Autobiography. He is thought to be the basis of the character Pesca in Wilkie Collins
' 1860 novel The Woman in White
.
He married Frances Polidori
, daughter of another Italian exile Gaetano Polidori
, and they had four children:
Vasto
Vasto is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti in southern Abruzzo, Italy. The population is now just over 40,000.-History:According to tradition, the town was founded by Diomedes, the Greek hero...
, Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
– 24 April 1854) was an Italian poet and scholar who emigrated to England.
Born in Vasto
Vasto
Vasto is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti in southern Abruzzo, Italy. The population is now just over 40,000.-History:According to tradition, the town was founded by Diomedes, the Greek hero...
in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the original family of his ancestors was Della Guardia. Since many members of the Della Guardia family had red hair, they were given the nickname Rossetti approximately four generations before Gabriele's birth. Rossetti's support for Italian revolutionary nationalism forced him into political exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in 1821.
Early Career and exile
Rossetti's first edition of poems was printed in 1807 by Giovanni Avalloni, who offered to have Rossetti's poems published after hearing him recite a few passages. The volume was never reprinted and contains poems that Rossetti himself describes by saying that some of them were "poor" and none of them were "exactly good". Throughout his early career, Rossetti published poems that were "patriotic" and supported the "popular movement" in Sicily which resulted in him receiving a grant from Ferdinand I of NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1820. When the king revoked the constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
in 1821, many supporters of the constitution were persecuted and forced into exile, and Rossetti then lived in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
for three years before settling in London in 1824. He held the post of Professor of Italian at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
from 1831, as well as teaching Italian at King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, until failing eyesight led to his retirement in 1847.
Rossetti's published works include literary criticism, Romantic poetry
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
such as his long poem Il veggente in solitudine of 1846, and his Autobiography. He is thought to be the basis of the character Pesca in Wilkie Collins
Wilkie Collins
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was very popular during the Victorian era and wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and over 100 non-fiction pieces...
' 1860 novel The Woman in White
The Woman in White
The Woman in White can refer to:*The Woman in White , an 1859 novel written by Wilkie Collins*The Woman in White , a 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the novel...
.
He married Frances Polidori
Frances Polidori
Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori, later Rossetti, is noted for her family connections rather than in her own right; in particular, two of her children were co-founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and another became a famous poet.Frances was the daughter of Italian exile Gaetano Polidori and...
, daughter of another Italian exile Gaetano Polidori
Gaetano Polidori
Gaetano Polidori was an Italian writer and scholar living in London. He was the son of Agostino Ansano Polidori , a physician and poet who lived and practised in his native Bientina, near Pisa, Tuscany....
, and they had four children:
- Maria Francesca RossettiMaria Francesca RossettiMaria Francesca Rossetti was an English author. She was the sister of artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti as well as William Michael Rossetti and Christina Georgina Rossetti, who dedicated her poem Goblin Market to Maria...
- Dante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
- William Michael RossettiWilliam Michael RossettiWilliam Michael Rossetti was an English writer and critic.-Biography:Born in London, he was a son of immigrant Italian scholar Gabriele Rossetti, and the brother of Maria Francesca Rossetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Georgina Rossetti.He was one of the seven founder members of the...
- Christina Georgina RossettiChristina RossettiChristina Georgina Rossetti was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems...
See also
- Rossetti-Polidori family tree