Christina Rossetti in Print: Dedications in Victorian Gift-Giving Culture
Abstract
Christina Rossetti dedicated nearly the entirety of her body of work to her mother. Through close textual analysis and engagement with the material works, this essay examines Rossetti’s involvement in Victorian publishing and gift-giving economies using a historical and theoretical framework. Giftbooks, literary annuals, and gift inscriptions are some of the forms used to explore public and private depictions of sisterly love and motherhood. Dedications connect these forms to the feminine gift economy and the role of women’s work in a patriarchal literary marketplace— and demonstrate the loving admiration that persists in Rossetti’s writing throughout her life.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Becky Turner
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