Goblin Market As Adult
Erotic Literature
Although Christina Rossetti was passionate about her religion and often chose to embed religious lessons within her work she also explored her more sinful desires through her writing. Corinthians 7:2 says, “But because the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” These words don’t explicitly say so, but we can assume that from this line the Lord believes that sexual encounters prior to marriage are immoral. Christina Rossetti never married but being familiar with human nature we know that she likely experiences sexual desire. These desires were clearly communicated in Goblin Market through the sexual imagery and specially selected erotic language.
This erotic language begins almost immediately when the goblin men begin their chants, “plump unpecked cherries…wild free-born cranberries…pomegranates full and fine…figs to fill your mouth” (7,11,21,28). All of these descriptions have underlying connotations of sexual encounters. The cherry is often related to virginity with the more modern saying “pop the cherry”. By pairing the cherry with the word unpecked insinuates that a young girl has not been penetrated and her virginity is still intact. The words wild and free-born lead to characteristics of a lady who may not be as pure when it comes to her sexual history. When a woman is described as wild she often does not have the self-control to stop sexual advances of others. Free-born could also mean that the woman was not born into a religious family and thus is not tied to the rules of the church that forbid sex before marriage. Lastly, pomegranates full and fine describe the female body. Breasts are the females most prominent distinction and they are often referred to as full because of their collection of fat in comparison to that of the male body.
Christina Rossetti uses Laura as a reflection of her alter ego, one that succumbs to the temptations of the earth. Laura refuses to listen to the rules that her sister Lizzie gives her when it comes to looking, listening, and receiving from the goblin men. “Laura stretched her gleaming neck…when it’s last restraint is gone” establishing her lack of self-control (81,86). The line, “Curious Laura chose to linger wondering at each merchant man” shows the curiosity that Christina has had (69-70). “She sucked and sucked and sucked the more” expresses the longing that Christina has felt (134). Her longing continues when Lizzie goes to the goblin men, they “hugged her and kissed her, squeezed and caressed her” (346-347).
The story transforms into homosexual eroticism when Lizzie encourages Laura to take from her body to soothe her desire. “Did you miss me? Come and kiss me. Never mind my bruises, hug me, kiss me, suck my juices squeezed from goblin fruits for you, goblin pulp and goblin dew. Eat me, drink me, love me” (465-471). This line from one woman to another is just as sexual as the lines used between the goblin men and the women. Although we do not know for sure this could be the reason Christina never married or even participated in the marriage game. The homosexual culture was not as accepted in the Victorian Era so it is possible that she suppressed these feelings or was confused sexually. Towards the very end of the poem, the sisters are still living together and have children. This could’ve been her dream, to live with another woman and raise their children as a couple.
Whether these ideas about Christina’s sexuality are accurate or not it is obvious that some sort of sexual desire was prominent in her life. She also could’ve used the conversations between friends as inspiration for some of the sexual references thus emphasizing the sexual desires of females as a whole during this time period.