Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’: Feminism, Psychoanalysis, Redemption, And Eroticism

Characters of Lizzie and Laura

Gupta, B., 2018. Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”: A Feminist and Psychoanalytical.

According to the author, the poem reflects high feminist characteristics through its characters. The author contrasts the women of the Victoria age to that of the two sisters in the narrative. This shows that the characters of Lizzie and Laura through psychoanalytic study are the embodiment of the women from the Victorian age.

In the Victorian age, many women played a major role in the revival of poetry. One of the major contributors was Christina Rossetti. Rossetti’s work “Goblin Market” is one of the major influential poetry in the Victorian era. The approach of this article explains the topic of sacrifice in relation to the theoretical statement of the poem. The contribution of the article highlights the feminist ideologies of Rossetti and the theme of sacrifice in the poem. The main findings of this paper are to highlight the facts of feminist interpretations.

Rossetti discusses the imagery and symbolism in the poem through the characters of goblins. The poem highlights the theme of good and evil through the medium of a fairytale. The two sisters Lizzie and Laura who are pure at heart begin to unravel to the reader when Laura indulges herself to the forbidden fruit of their village. Lizzie on the other hand does not succumb to the temptation and as the story progresses; Laura becomes more and more addicted to the fruit. To save the life of her sister, Lizzie sacrifices herself so that she does not have to witness the condition that Laura was initially in. Both the characters are symbolic in nature and they are both the actually representation of women in general. With this statement Rosseti highlights the fact that girl are born pure and simple. However, the symbolism of the goblins and the fruit has been represented by death. This concept is incorporated with the basis of essentialist and constructionist ideologies of feminist literary discussions. The way both the sisters are described holds the options of two outcomes, first being Lizzie and Laura as identical look alike or twins and the second being that the two does not share each other’s intense anguish but shares the essential and constructive perspective of feminist ideologies. Lizzie displays an immense self-restraint and Laura becomes the victim of the goblin’s fruit.

From the above discussion, it can be said that the source gives an insight of the psychoanalytical perspective of the two sisters. Lizzie is an angel who is emotional and submissive whereas Laura is labeled as a monster by the goblins who resists and shows immense resistance to their evil influence. The source demonstrates the character of Lizzie and also embraces the concept of gender binary in a way that does not remove it but displaces it. The feminine attribute of desirous towards the goblin fruit causes a blushing sight of the subject and soon replaces it with the trait of masculine rationality. The description of feminine traits by Laura towards her sister is seeing dwindling in the expectation of the goblin’s fruit however her intelligence and fortitude is the contributing factor when she successfully gets the fruit from them.

Relationship between Humans and Goblins

Kent, K.S., 2014. ” Goblin Market:” Renunciation and Redemption in Christina Rossetti’s Narrative Poem. Inquiries Journal, 6(01).

According to the author, this article explains the elements related to redemption of the characters. The author explains through the journal that sacrifice that Lizzie did it for her sister. This element escalates the narrative and brings a renunciation to the reader. The idea of redemption is also contrasted with that of biblical references by the author.

Goblin Market explains the interactions of humans and goblins to a new extent. The narrative highlights the sexual connotations as per Rossetti. This factor plays a major role in heightening the relationship between the male goblins and the female humans. The ecstatic experience of the Laura, one of the two sisters with the fruit provided by the goblins is indescribable. The approach of the article as renunciation and the after effects and how it is related to the over-invasive and aggressive advances made by the goblins towards Lizzie. The contribution of the article highlights the factors involved in redemption of Laura that can be termed as sacrifice.

The summary of the article explains the erotic undertone to the close relationship of the sisters that caused renunciation and led to redemption. Rossesti describes the connection and the bond shared by the two sisters that gives a climatic description of the physical interaction as Laura and Lizzie shares their experiences. This description was apparent to the audience of the Victorian era. As a female poet, Rosseti does not hold back the description of the sexual implication that was considered a taboo at that time.  This fills the entire narrative with a subject of strong religious associations as the experience of Laura with the goblins can be contrasted to Eve’s temptation as mentioned in the Old Testament. Laura and Eve were both enticed to have the forbidden fruit that caused the loss of innocence. The redemption can be explained with the sacrifice of Lizzie by eating the forbidden fruit. His is a contrast made to the suffering of Christ’s martyrdom. who made the sacrifice for mankind where Lizzie did it for her sister.  There are many religious symbolism and female sexual references throughout the article. The author entangles that Rossetti entangles the two main contrasting themes in the poem “Goblin Market”.

Therefore, from the above discussion it can be said that the source explains the theme where Laura had to die in order to be redeemed not Lizzie is not Christ. This sense of freedom from the goblins act as an imagery. Lizzie is pure throughout the poem and maintains the role of what the authors calls “an unstained virgin”. What makes Lizzie different form Laura is the active peruse of temptation gained from the intention of conquering. When Lizzie sees Laura was suffering, she took a desperate measure of sacrificing herself in order to save her sister. It can be explained that the passive nature of Lizzie can be put in context to the Christian belief of Rossetti. The end acts as a context out of place yet irreverent to the fact that the lines indicate Rossetti herself could not reach if the context were to explain the traits of heroism in a female.  

Symbolic Imagery and Contrasts

Hill, Marylu. “Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me”: Eucharist and the Erotic Body in Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market. Victorian poetry 43.4 (2005) 455-472.

According to the author, the erotic elements in the poem are reflected through the means of the two sisters and the goblins. This acts as a presentation of salvation from the author’s perspective that highlights the two images of spirituality and erotica. The author’s description explains that the goblins are the embodiment of evil whereas the two sisters are the representation of good.

The portrayal of erotic imagery of nature is surrounded in ‘Goblin Market’. The poem focuses on the context of spiritual redemption. Rossetti has explain that the element of sacrifice and saving meal is the heart of the poem however the author has mentioned that it is not the only factor that has came into play The approach of this article in many parts explains that both the nature of image and the concept of erotica acts as a method towards salvation. The contribution of the article highlights the factor that there are two images involved, one being profoundly spiritual and the other being profoundly erotic.

The summary explains that Anglo-Catholic doctrine concerns that is related to the poem. This is explained in the extract thought twin sensibilities and erotic desire combined with spiritual satisfaction. It has been argued by the author that Rossetti description of physical imagery and contrast with other objects has brought forth the idea that logical and appropriate spiritual conclusion is her style. Rossetti has explained that body as a concrete conduit rather than a symbol or metaphor that allows the normal people to understand the almighty God. The author believes that Rossetti has portrayed in her poem that human alone cannot transcend their body as much as the experiences transcended through it. It is explained through the characters of Lizzie and Laura. The element of sacrifice that is shown by Laura towards her sister Lizzie. The physical imagery can be used as a tool of expansion of the characters of the two sisters and the goblins. The goblins are there as an object of evil influence towards Lizzie as her innocence gets swindled however it is her sister who keep on defending her from harm’s way and in the end sacrifices herself for her sister’s wellbeing.

Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that the twin sensibilities and desire towards erotica are the two major central themes of the poem. By using the body as a concrete conduct, she explains that human beings can to the supernatural. The erotic elements in the poem is explained with the fact that Rossetti gives an ascetic repression of the human body that even being insisted, to be employed in the service of high desire. The element is sacrifice is combined with the factor that provides a unique sense of understanding of the human body. Rossetti description of the two sisters explains that the erotic body acts as a vehicle towards salvation. This description is both profoundly erotic and can be understood with a sense of profoundly spiritual explanations. Rossetti’s reading of the Augustine explains the deep concerns she had with the Anglo-Catholic doctrine that would make a real presence towards the Holy Eucharist along with her realistic description. The body is used as symbolisms in contrast to many religious factors including sacrifice and appropriate spiritual conclusion of the doctrine. Therefore, it can be said that Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” offers a sense of paradigm of desire that is echoed throughout the poem. This acknowledges the physical embodiment of body and asserts what it can be used to do.

References

Gupta, B., 2018. Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”: A Feminist and Psychoanalytical

Hill, Marylu. “Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me”: Eucharist and the Erotic Body in Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market. Victorian poetry 43.4 (2005) 455-472.

Study.Gbogi, Michael Tosin. “Refiguring the subversive in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh and Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”.” Neohelicon 41, no. 2 (2014): 503-516.