A summary of Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

The poem “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti tells the tale of two sisters, Lizzie and Laura.

Lizzie is typically the perfect young woman, conforming to the rules of her society and not looking to or approaching the Goblin Men- a group of satanic characters who attempt to lure people into buying their fruit, which we later learn is dangerous. Lizzie however is immediately introduced as a more curious and breaks away character; looking to the Goblin Men even though she is reminded not to. When Lizzie runs away, Laura stays behind and approaches the Goblin men, entranced by their sensual descriptions of the Goblin Men, and says that she would like to purchase some of their fruit, but has no money with which to do so. As a result, the Goblin Men ask for a lock of her golden hair. Hesitantly she agrees, and gorges on the fruits given by the Goblin Men, keeping a single stone from one of the fruits.

Laura returns home to Laura and their Mother. Lizzie warns her that she should not have stayed out, but Laura describes the fruits she has eaten to her sister. Laura tells the story of Jeanie who succumbed to the Goblin Curse after the fruit she had eaten made her forlorn and tired, until eventually she died. Laura ignores this and tells her sister that she will return the next day to buy more fruit.  

The two sisters retire to bed together, and wake the next morning to continue with their normal lives and the daily duties they must perform. However Laura seems distracted, not able to focus on or enjoy the simple parts of the day, instead longing for the night. When the two go to gather water in the brook, Laura loiters in the water complaining that the bank is too steep, and stands listening for the Goblin cry but not hearing it. The two sisters return home, but when Lizzie is asleep, Laura sits in tears yearning for the Goblin Fruit. Laura spends days waiting for them but never seeing the Goblins. She even tries to water the stone she saved from one of the fruits in the hope it will grow, but to no avail. She became more frail and “dwindled” and began to die.

Lizzie considers the prospect of approaching the Goblin Men, but only does so when Laura is in a critical condition. She approaches the Goblin men, giving them a shilling in order to take the fruit home to her sister. The Goblin Men insist that if she is to eat the fruit, she must do so now with them. When she refuses to do so and demands her shilling back, the Goblin’s drop their charm and attempt to force Lizzie to eat the Goblin Fruit. Lizzie refuses to open her mouth even as they try to force it down her throat, and so the Fruit Juice covers her skin. The Goblin Men eventually give up and leave Lizzie, bruised and covered in Goblin Fruit juice.

Lizzie runs home to Laura, telling her that she is covered in the Juices of the Goblin Men’s fruits, and lets Laura drink the juices from her skin. Lizzie watches over Laura throughout the night, keeping her temperature down and monitoring her heart beat. Come the morning, Laura wakes and is fully recovered, and rejoices with her sister.

The poem concludes many years from the sisters’ childhoods, when they are both married and have children of their own, and Laura is telling her own children of the story of what her sister did to save her. The poem concludes with Laura describing how a sister will do anything for you.

 

A critic's view of Goblin Market

Text:  “Modern Markets for Goblin Market” by Lorraine Janzen Koistra

“Goblin Market has always been an ambiguous text with a diffuse audience, but – modern marketing techniques have identified two distinct reader-s child and adult- and produced different meanings for each. The two most significant factors in this production of Goblin Market for a specific community of readers are the poem's genre and the addition of illustrations. Remarkably, the specific content of the poem seems to have had much less influence in establishing the target audience than either its fairy-tale genre or its visual presentation, for Rossetti's text is generally reprinted in full.1 It is not, then, textual changes which establish the implied child or adult reader for the poem, but rather the way in which the accompanying illustrations determine how, and by whom, this fairy tale is to be read. By echoing certain aspects of the text and muting others, the pictures transform the multivalent verbal text into either a children's fairy tale or an adult fantasy. The main difference between the two related genres and their differentiated audiences is the presence or absence of sexuality, for explicit sexual reference, in image or in word, has traditionally been taboo in children's literature.”

 

In this text, Koistra suggests that Goblin Market can have many apparent themes, including feminism, religion, sexual reference and adult temptation depending on the reader, and that it is catered to both child and adult readers. As a child reading the poem (or being read the poem) the story may appear to be nothing more than a fairy-tale about Goblin’s and the threat they pose. However, as an adult reading the text, they may see differently.

Adults reading the texts could see the correlation between the sin of temptation, perhaps taking a more religious view of the text as they are swayed by their religion and experiences. The poem to them may illustrate how temptation and want are bad and unnecessary things, and that the sin of temptation may lead to trouble. However, they may see the want for the fruits in the poem as lustful and as a result see them as a metaphor for sexual desire and how this can lead even the most innocent and pure away.

 

Despite the many different and opposing views, Koistra’s article implies that there is no one correct view, rather a collection of equally important meanings that vary depending on the reader or intended audience.

I agree with Koistra’s view as I agree that once the poem has been published or shared it is no longer the authors and is instead open to any interpretation of the text.

 

While this might seem to be a good way to emphasize the gender conflict between the "merchant men" and the sisters, Housman, in fact, elides the sexual politics of the poem in order to portray the goblins as grotesque doubles for the girls, hysterical projections of their own frustrated sexuality.

 

 

 

Rossetti's Presentation of Nature in her Poetry

There are many ways in which Rossetti presents Nature in her poetry. Her constant awe and love for nature is apparent throughout many of her poems, as she often uses Nature's beauty to illustrate her love of God and her devote Catholiscim.

 

Firstly, Rossetti uses nature as a metaphor for her strong belief in God's power to create and sustain.

She describes water with great grandeur, labelling the “fourfold river” to represent its wide, encompassing power. The onomatopoeia used here replicates the flowing, continual sound of the river, creating vibrant and vivd imagery with which to contrast the dull surroundings of manmade religious structures. She uses this imagery of water- the main requirement for all life on Earth- to depict God's ability to give and sustain not only mankind- but also nature's many beauties. Water also has typically religious connotations; it's requirement in baptisms and throughout stories in the Bible show how Rossetti is able to continually link God and Nature, finding God in the beauty and constancy of water and a river's flow as opposed to the synthetic human religious settings.

           

Her poem, “Paradise: In a Dream” shows Rossetti's awe at nature, as she depicts the “perfect violet”, “glassy pools” and flowers “more fair than waking eyes”. She uses this Natural Imagery to portray God's power in Nature and show her rejection of more demur man made religious structures e.g. churches, typical places of worship.

            For example, rather than using the typically gruesome image of Christ on a cross, she uses the metaphor of the “Tree of life”- reflecting Christ and God in the beauty of nature. This metaphor emphasises the importance of the Tree of Life to Rossetti, with its mentioning at the centre of the poem showing the importance of structure within the poem,  representing how God is at the heart of everything, even at the heart of the poem. Rossetti goes on to describe how its “eternal sap sustains the roots”, referring to the roots of life, the world and humanity as a whole. The fact she describes the tree as “abundant with twelvefold fruits” that are “sweeter than honey to taste” shows how Rossetti felt that God not only sustains life, but ensures its basic, sensual enjoyment, as the "sweeter than honey" details the enjoyment gained from life, as sweetness is a psoitive and indulgent sensation. The point of life is not only to survive, but also to be happy and thrive, and through this metaphor Rossetti shows that God gives more than it is necessary to give, showing his generosity and love.

 

Rossetti clearly shows that her passion for “(my) God” is equal to her passion for enjoying Nature at its most basic, human level. Whereas most man made religious customs might frown upon such sensuality shown through nature, Rossetti is perhaps controversial in her use of the description of Nature in Maude Claire, in which she uses the description of “wading for lilies in the beck” to recall memories of a romance. The description of the “lilies budding now” could reflect the poetic voice's want to go back to that time when she enjoyed not only the beauty in nature, but also the beauty of being happily in love. In this way Rossetti could portray her belief that to show love in all forms is not a sin, the comparison of nature and love side by side reflecting her belief in natural beauty, through nature and through people.

 

 

A critic's view of Rossetti's poem "Winter; My Secret"

Suzanne William's sees Rosetti's poem "Winter; My Secret"as Rosetti's way of rebuking what she is expected to do in her society; to get married, reveal herself and have more children. The critique states that "women can only assert power, ownership and control over something as ephemeral as a secret" and so Rosetti uses the metaphor of Winter and her secret to show her sceptiscm "about relationships between men and women". The critic suggest that Rossetti uses the description of the seasons to create a lexical link between the passings of time and how she does not feel trust in the perhaps more fertile seasons of May and Spring.

Comparing "Song " and "Remember" by Christina Rossetti.

Compare and contrast how Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems “Song” and “Remember”.

There are many ways in which Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems “Song” and “Remember”.

 Rossetti was a 19^th Century Poet who was, despite having quiet a privileged life style, became very melancholy when entering her teens, often dwelling on mortality and faith in her poems. As a strong Christian, Rossetti’s portrayals of death in her poems are very peaceful and tranquil, showing that she finds comfort in the thought that one day she will be freed from human emotion. This often also reflects the constraints of women in her times, as death appears to be more of a freedom in her poems than the lives lead by the characters. 

Firstly, Rossetti shows her views on death and the afterlife in the poem “Song” by insisting that her death should not be over mourned. She portrays death as an inevitable event that should not be feared and faced with sadness or trepidation. She describes how she believes death to be like “dreaming through the twilight” using this luminal sense to display how she thinks we should take comfort in the fact that- in death- all human worries and emotions will no longer affect us. She describes how she shall no longer be subjected to human sufferings or “hear the nightingale sing on, as if in pain”. The reference to Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale”, a sad poem which reflects how Keats believes the Nightingale’s song to be a sad one, shows that Rossetti believes that in death she will no longer have to be subjected to common sadness or the melancholy we know she felt for most of her life (suffering from depression at one time), again reiterating that she sees death and the after-life as a freedom from human constraints.

Secondly, Rossetti also rejects the common Victorian tradition of heavily dwelling on death, stating “Sing no sad songs for me”. “Sad songs” implies a funeral or some form of mourning, which Rossetti continues to reject. This implies that Rossetti does not want people to dwell on death, or comply to the normal Victorian stereotypes of surrounding one’s self with reminders of mortality. In fact, Rossetti is imperative in stating “Plant though no roses at my head” in mourning, but rather “be the green grass above (me)”, as we know, coming from the Romantic Poetic Era, Rossetti will have believed in everyday beauty in nature, and this rejection of normal mourning and beauty stereotypes could further show her rejection of infatuation over death.

Rossetti also shows that she does not think it particularly important to be remembered, as “haply I may remember, and haply may I forget” means that she believes she may forget herself whom she was before, and as a result cannot blame whoever is left behind for forgetting her also, if they choose to. This reflects Rossetti’s belief in Soul Sleeping, in which your souls rest until the resurrection of Christ, and in which you forget who you were before in order to be completely free of human pain so that your soul is “preserved”. The lines “I shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain” are very similar to Psalm 121 in the old testament of the Bible, which states “The sun shall not smite the by day, nor the moon by night”, showing how when Soul Sleeping you are no longer effected by your surroundings, and that you can just be at peace. Rossetti uses this similarity to reflect her own views of death and the after-life, as it shows how she herself can find comfort in the thought of death, and sees it as a peaceful time and therefore not something that should be mourned.

Similarly, the poem “Remember” also reflects Christina Rossetti’s view on death and the after-life, again reiterating her views on Soul Sleeping as she describes going “far away to the silent land”. This is very similar to her description of “dreaming through the twilight” and continues to reflect her belief that she will no longer be affected by human woes when dead.

Perhaps differently to song, Rossetti expresses a different kind of freedom. Whereas in “Song” Rossetti expresses freedom from “the nightingale” and its sad songs, she uses “Remember” to show how in death, women can at last be free from the patriarchal male society and the constraints placed upon women. She describes how “You tell me of our future planned”, the pronouns “You” and “our” suggesting that she does not have any choice in the matter, and that the male in the poem is making the decisions for the both of them. However, Rossetti uses the poem to show that once the poetic voice is dead, he will have no control over her as he once did. For example, the poetic voice uses the imperative of “Remember me” to emphasise how he no longer can tell her what to do or “hold (me) by the hand” as though guiding her, and that she shall be free from the sadness he may face as a result of her loss.

In addition to this, Rossetti reflects her own voice in song, describing once again how it is important to be happy and not to dwell on death as the Victorian culture of mortality would dictate to be the norm.  In the poem “Remember” she describes how it is better to “forget and smile” than to “remember and be sad”, which has extremely similar connotations to “Song”, in which she says “sing no sad songs for me”. All of these lines reflect Rossetti’s own view on death as something that should not be mourned. It could also reflect her romantic poet roots, as “Remember” suggests also that life is still beautiful and should be treasured and relished in rather than dwelling on the dead, who- in her eyes – will no longer be affected by the “darkness and corruption” of human life or remember what they have come from.

In conclusion, Rossetti uses the poems “Song” and “Remember” to show her rejection of the Victorian culture of mortality, as in both she describes how it is much more important to be happy than it is to dwell on something that she believes the dead will not even remember. However, she does use the two poems slightly differently, using “Remember” to subtly display her rejection of male dominance and “Song” to display her distaste for continued and what she appears to believe to be self-indulged mourning. None the less, both poems reflect Rossetti’s strong faith that when her soul sleeps she will be free from human pain and emotion, and be able to rest from all controversies and conflicts that she faces in the life of an unmarried Victorian Woman.

Compare and contrast how Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems “Song” and “Remember”.

Compare and contrast how Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems “Song” and “Remember”.

There are many ways in which Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems “Song” and “Remember”.

 Rossetti was a 19^th Century Poet who was, despite having quiet a privileged life style, became very melancholy when entering her teens, often dwelling on mortality and faith in her poems. As a strong Christian, Rossetti’s portrayals of death in her poems are very peaceful and tranquil, showing that she finds comfort in the thought that one day she will be freed from human emotion. This often also reflects the constraints of women in her times, as death appears to be more of a freedom in her poems than the lives lead by the characters. 

Firstly, Rossetti shows her views on death and the afterlife in the poem “Song” by insisting that her death should not be over mourned. She portrays death as an inevitable event that should not be feared and faced with sadness or trepidation. She describes how she believes death to be like “dreaming through the twilight” using this luminal sense to display how she thinks we should take comfort in the fact that- in death- all human worries and emotions will no longer affect us. She describes how she shall no longer be subjected to human sufferings or “hear the nightingale sing on, as if in pain”. The reference to Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale”, a sad poem which reflects how Keats believes the Nightingale’s song to be a sad one, shows that Rossetti believes that in death she will no longer have to be subjected to common sadness or the melancholy we know she felt for most of her life (suffering from depression at one time), again reiterating that she sees death and the after-life as a freedom from human constraints.

Secondly, Rossetti also rejects the common Victorian tradition of heavily dwelling on death, stating “Sing no sad songs for me”. “Sad songs” implies a funeral or some form of mourning, which Rossetti continues to reject. This implies that Rossetti does not want people to dwell on death, or comply to the normal Victorian stereotypes of surrounding one’s self with reminders of mortality. In fact, Rossetti is imperative in stating “Plant though no roses at my head” in mourning, but rather “be the green grass above (me)”, as we know, coming from the Romantic Poetic Era, Rossetti will have believed in everyday beauty in nature, and this rejection of normal mourning and beauty stereotypes could further show her rejection of infatuation over death.

Rossetti also shows that she does not think it particularly important to be remembered, as “haply I may remember, and haply may I forget” means that she believes she may forget herself whom she was before, and as a result cannot blame whoever is left behind for forgetting her also, if they choose to. This reflects Rossetti’s belief in Soul Sleeping, in which your souls rest until the resurrection of Christ, and in which you forget who you were before in order to be completely free of human pain so that your soul is “preserved”. The lines “I shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain” are very similar to Psalm 121 in the old testament of the Bible, which states “The sun shall not smite the by day, nor the moon by night”, showing how when Soul Sleeping you are no longer effected by your surroundings, and that you can just be at peace. Rossetti uses this similarity to reflect her own views of death and the after-life, as it shows how she herself can find comfort in the thought of death, and sees it as a peaceful time and therefore not something that should be mourned.

Similarly, the poem “Remember” also reflects Christina Rossetti’s view on death and the after-life, again reiterating her views on Soul Sleeping as she describes going “far away to the silent land”. This is very similar to her description of “dreaming through the twilight” and continues to reflect her belief that she will no longer be affected by human woes when dead.

Perhaps differently to song, Rossetti expresses a different kind of freedom. Whereas in “Song” Rossetti expresses freedom from “the nightingale” and its sad songs, she uses “Remember” to show how in death, women can at last be free from the patriarchal male society and the constraints placed upon women. She describes how “You tell me of our future planned”, the pronouns “You” and “our” suggesting that she does not have any choice in the matter, and that the male in the poem is making the decisions for the both of them. However, Rossetti uses the poem to show that once the poetic voice is dead, he will have no control over her as he once did. For example, the poetic voice uses the imperative of “Remember me” to emphasise how he no longer can tell her what to do or “hold (me) by the hand” as though guiding her, and that she shall be free from the sadness he may face as a result of her loss.

In addition to this, Rossetti reflects her own voice in song, describing once again how it is important to be happy and not to dwell on death as the Victorian culture of mortality would dictate to be the norm.  In the poem “Remember” she describes how it is better to “forget and smile” than to “remember and be sad”, which has extremely similar connotations to “Song”, in which she says “sing no sad songs for me”. All of these lines reflect Rossetti’s own view on death as something that should not be mourned. It could also reflect her romantic poet roots, as “Remember” suggests also that life is still beautiful and should be treasured and relished in rather than dwelling on the dead, who- in her eyes – will no longer be affected by the “darkness and corruption” of human life or remember what they have come from.

In conclusion, Rossetti uses the poems “Song” and “Remember” to show her rejection of the Victorian culture of mortality, as in both she describes how it is much more important to be happy than it is to dwell on something that she believes the dead will not even remember. However, she does use the two poems slightly differently, using “Remember” to subtly display her rejection of male dominance and “Song” to display her distaste for continued and what she appears to believe to be self-indulged mourning. None the less, both poems reflect Rossetti’s strong faith that when her soul sleeps she will be free from human pain and emotion, and be able to rest from all controversies and conflicts that she faces in the life of an unmarried Victorian Woman.

There are many ways in which Rossetti uses language, imagery and verse form to create her own portrayal of relationships between men and women.

Firstly, it is apparent from the beginning of the poem that the poetic voice uses powerful, imperative language to get her point across. The title, "No, Thank You, John" is a statement that sets the tone of the entire poem, with further negative imperatives such as "never" and "don't" introducing us to the unforgiving and perhaps business-like poetic voice.

The use of what is stereotypically masculine language and phrases-"Let us strike hands as hearty friends" suggests that Rossetti believes men and women to be equal and as a result should be able to make their own decisions about their lives. The verb "strike" is forceful and typically masculine in itself, as the voice uses this passive aggressive tone to- whilst still being polite- keep John at an arm’s length.

This is in contrast with the context of the poem, which was written in the 1800s when a woman's role in society was as a wife and not as an educated lady. With this poetic voice, Rossetti is trying to display the relationship between men and women as equal.

She iterates this point by using intelligent reasoning to dismantle and arguments made by "John" in the poem, querying his suggestion that she has no heart” by insisting that it is impossible to “give (you) what I have not got”. This further reinforces how educated the poetic voice is. This is important as from the we know it was less likely for a woman to be educated as much so as a man, so Rossetti uses this to illustrate that women can be as intelligent as men and can handle equally well difficult social situations.

Rossetti’s use of the persona also reinforces her belief that women should stand as equals to men. The persona is used within the poem to outsmart the interjection of “John”- a depersonalised male character used to reflect her rejection of masculinity and the constraints within her society. The enjambment of “I have no heart?” appears more as a direct quote from John’s character, which she then uses against him to disprove his statement, telling him to “use (your) common sense”. This shows that, though distracted by the interjection, the poem’s persona is able to form an educated and well-structured argument.