Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

Background

• The Gothic inhabited novel forms
• The Gothic was the most successful form of the novel
• The Gothic novel rose to fame in the 1750's
• The Gothic novel has a damsel/virtue in distress
• The Gothic novel has a villain
• The Gothic novel has a hero
• The Gothic novel has a femme fatale (helps villain; haunts hero)
• The Gothic novel and Medieval Romances share many characteristics 
• The knight is most often successful in saving the damsel
• Frankenstein is an example of a Gothic novel
• Edgar Allen Poe is a Gothic writer
• The setting of a Gothic novel is gloomy/scary and often a castle, abbey, ruin
• Many Gothic novels contain elements of the supernatural 
• Christina Rossetti wrote Goblin Market around 40-50 years after Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice
• Victorian era:
• Emphasized socialization
• Emphasized solving social problems
• This era was very prudish
• 25-40% of women in the Victorian era were prostitutes 
• This highly sexualized culture was encouraged by opium/laudanum addictions

Goblin Market

Goblin Market contains many elements that make it a gothic poem. The goblins are the villains, Laura is the damsel in distress, and Lizzie is the hero. The setting is in the dark of night with the stars and the moon shining in an urban space on the steet/marketplace. This poem also contains elements of the supernatural such as the goblin men, addictive fruits, and the animalistic sounds of the goblin men. Laura's sister Lizzie is the hero, although the hero is typically a masculine male. 

The religious and homoerotic elements of the poem are considered to be interpretive. Overall, the sexualization found in this poem overpowers the religious aspects of it. Religious aspects found in this poem include the forbidden fruit and Lizzie serving as Laura's "savior" from death. The fruit juices also could be equivalent to the blood of Christ in religious services. Through this poem and the sisters, Rossetti may be asserting that homosexuality is ok and even preferable to being romantic with the goblin men. 

Hanging out with Goblins was not a typical social convention of this time. It's important to not socially reject fallen women like Laura because we are supposed to save them. Most often, fallen women were forced into their occupation for monetary reasons.