Under the Rose by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Raised by a nurse, Margaret comes under a wealthy unmarried lady's care after the nurse dies. Recognizing the lady as her mother, she resolves to conceal their relationship despite social humiliation and her longing for an acknowledged family. She rejects marriage for money or a respectable name and awaits equality in the grave, hoping God may save her.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Dramatic Monologue, Narrative Poetry, Social Criticism · 4,961 words
First lines
"The iniquity of the fathers upon the children. "
O the rose of keenest thorn! / One hidden summer morn / Under the rose I was born.
Genres
- Dramatic Monologue — Margaret speaks throughout, recounting her upbringing and privately addressing the mother whose public position she resolves to protect.
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas follow Margaret from her concealed birth through her nurse's death, life at the Hall, and decision to keep her parentage secret.
- Social Criticism — Margaret describes servants' sneers, visitors' scrutiny, and unequal treatment on earth, while allowing that all may be equal before God.
Tags
illegitimacy · concealed parentage · mothers and daughters · class distinctions · social stigma · marriage · religious faith
What this Textopian page supports
Under the Rose is listed on Textopian as a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Dramatic Monologue, Narrative Poetry, Social Criticism
- Length: 4,961 words
- Structure: 1 section, 35 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Under the Rose by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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