When reading the poem, the reader may notice flower symbolism. The extract shows what happened after Laura is seduced by the strange creatures, and before Lizzie strives to save her sister from wasting away. When Laura succumbs to her desires, and as a result almost dies, Lizzie is willing to sacrifice herself to save her sister. For these fruit, a lock of hair is exchanged. In the poem, sisters Laura and Lizzie are tempted into tasting fruit offered by goblin men, strange humanoid animals which only call upon maidens. ‘Goblin market', a narrative poem, was first published in 1862. In this essay, it shall be explained how Goblin Market deals with the concept of the fallen woman, personified in both Jeanie and Laura. Many of her works deal with innocence and temptation, and the consequences of becoming a fallen woman. Nevertheless, Rossetti probably did not think that women should have the same sexual freedom as men. They could try to find a job, and in the worst case, ended up as prostitutes.Ĭhristina Rossetti helped reintegrate fallen women into society. For these women, finding a suitable husband was usually out of the question. Women who lost their virtue out of wedlock or had sexual relations with a man other than their husband were considered a ‘fallen woman'. In Victorian times, one of the virtues associated with the ideal middle- and upper-class woman, the so-called ‘angel in the house', was chastity.

The Fallen Woman in Christina Rossetti's ‘Goblin Market'

Christina rossetti goblin