Goblin Market Essay

1405 Words6 Pages
Discuss the ways in which Goblin Market reveals Victorian ideology and morality Rossetti’s Goblin Market has many key factors that at the time embodied the stereotypical ideals of Victorian society. At the time Rossetti was writing the population was increasing rapidly, especially in new urban cities and Victorian literature was now starting to depict a new idea, the notion of the ‘fallen woman,’ the belief that once ordinary women had succumbed to temptation they would immediately become social outcasts in their community. In Goblin Market, Rossetti displays the idea of the fragility of a woman’s reputation, however, instead of conveying the idea that once a woman has ‘fallen’ they could no longer gain respectability, Rossetti controversially ‘encourages an ideology of acceptance rather than judgement of social outcasts.’ Throughout the poem Rossetti exposes the ideology of her time often supporting certain aspects but in places sometimes contradicting the ordinary notions of the stereotypical Victorian age. A critic claimed Goblin Market to be ‘a Christian allegory of temptation fall and redemption’ the idea being that the characters themselves represent a deeper level of meaning; they symbolise more than just themselves. Rossetti, being a Christian has chosen to present an almost fairy tale storyline containing deeper moral messages, with certain aspects such as the symbolism of the temptation of the fruit and Lizzie’s physical sacrifice being comparable to the story of Adam and Eve. As the sacredness of childhood became more important in society the notion of fairy tales became extremely popular and many writers such as Hans Christian Anderson were using these stories to teach to children the different values and morals in society. Goblin Market similarly uses this convention but it is questionable as to whether it is a suitable story for children.
Open Document