How Her Life Relates to Goblin Market
In the year 1830, Christina Rossetti was born into an exceptionally educated and gifted family. Her father Gabriele Rossetti was an Italian poet, her mother Frances studied as a governess with the aims of providing the highest form of educational training for her children. Her efforts obviously paid off. Christina’s sister Maria became an author, her brother Dante Gabriel grew to fame as a poet and painter, her second brother William worked as an art and literary critic, editor, and memoirist, and Christina established herself as one of the Victorian age’s finest poets.
Because Christina’s parents were so well educated, she was quickly influenced to appreciate literature and the arts. Her mother constantly read religious texts to her when she was a child. Stories of the Bible seemed to parallel the magic of Harry Potter for Frances. Because of Christina’s almost immediate love of literature, scholars often conclude her childhood exposure is what lead to the success of her children’s poetry. Rather than focusing mainly on the topic of the poem she focused on tone, diction, and form to create a complex poem hidden behind a mask of simplicity. This writing style is what leads to her poetry to be appropriate among various audiences.
Although she navigated away from explicitly religious texts, her poems, including Goblin Market, are full of allegory and Catholic influence. This is explored more in depth under the Religious Allegory section of this website.
Her allegorical inclusions in Goblin Market are somewhat contradicted by the overwhelming inclusion of eroticism. Christina never married so she could’ve been experiencing a longing for sexual encounters. This is also explored in more depth under the “Adult Erotic Literature” tab.
Although Christina established herself as the most prestigious writer of the Victorian Era, her life was not without a struggle. From her brother Dante’s writings, we are told that Christina often endured bouts of depression and mania. These emotional experiences are embodied in Goblin Market through the character of Laura and the mania she experiences after feasting with the goblin men.
The elements I have discussed above only address a small section of Rossetti’s life and how it connects with her works. As I read more about Christina Rossetti more and more connections between her life and her writings become evident. If you have more knowledge on the life of Christina Rossetti, I encourage you to discuss it with me by clicking on the “Let’s Discuss” tab at the bottom of the site.