„He Wants a Little Poetry, And She Wants a Little Prose”: Victorian Women’sPoetry in Charles Dickens’ Christmas Periodicals

<ns3:p>Between 1850 and 1867, special Christmas issues appeared in the periodicals Household Wordsand All the Year Round, conducted by Charles Dickens with Charles Dickens as editor. They werecollaborative texts by multiple authors, with Dickens inviting various writers to contribute. He coordinatedthe collection of the texts, devised the narrative framework, and signed the issues with hisname. However, the co-authors were given complete creative freedom. As a result, the Christmassupplements are a fascinating mix of styles and themes. The article focuses on how the poemsby two women poets – Eliza Griffi ths and Adelaide Anne Procter – function within this space of literarycollaboration. I explore the role of poetry in the modern medium of the press and the strategiesemployed by the two Victorian women poets for a prose publication. Although they operate withina collaborative context, Griffi ths and Procter often stand in contrast to the other authors, boldlyaddressing taboo topics and giving voice to marginalized groups.</ns3:p>