The main interest of my research is the aesthetic phenomenon of Doppelbegabung in the Victorian period, and especially its relevance to the complex figure and artistic works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. In particular, I am interested in the relationship between Rossetti’s paintings and his poetical works, which he always attempted to connect, either through reciprocal reference, or through iconotextual works, recalling – at least theoretically – his greatest influence and artistic reference, William Blake. Rossetti’s Double Works, as these works have been defined by the most influential scholars of Rossetti, such as Jerome McGann, are characterized by a double expression, the verbal and the visual. More specifically, his verbal works are sonnets composed to “physically” accompany his own paintings, by invading the canvas or the frame; significant performative features of Rossetti’s Doppelbegabung.
