In Victorian poetry, duality or double-ness refers to the presence of opposing or conflicting elements within a single poem or some works of the poet.
Victorian poets used the double-ness to reflect conflicting values, emotions, images, and tension of the Victorian era.
As a result of the doubleness, the period is expressed by the dialectical oscillation and the divided self-consciousness.
For that reason, the poetry in Victorian era was between progress and nostalgia since it was the period of immense changes.
While the period witnessed progress in which there were the emerge of industrialization, construction of railroads, colonialist endeavours, women’s emancipation, scientific achievements, the discovery of new lands and culture, the building of modern architecture, this era also had nostalgic tone related to ancient Greek and Roman culture, Arthurian legend, medieval times, and the mythic past.
“Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti is a narrative poem about two sisters who live together. In the poem, idea of temptation is emphasized, and Laura is the one cannot resist temptation and becomes the victim of desire while Lizzie is the one who does not yield to temptation and saves her sister from Goblin’s men thanks to her sense of morality and religious devotion.
Let’s discuss Christina Rossetti's erotic temperament first and then religious severity in "Goblin Market".
Goblin Market, by Hilda Koe, 1895 (photo: theharvestmaidsrevenge.com)
Voice of Goblin’s men and fruits refer to the erotic temperament in her poem.
The goblins’ tempting cries saying, "come buy, come buy" is the voice of temptation.
The voice of temptation is heard by maids, that is, untouched and unspoiled virgins, and Goblin’s men want maids to buy fruits ripen together like “apples, quinces, melons, raspberries, cherries, lemons, oranges, peaches, pineapples, strawberries” which represent the allure of forbidden desires.
“Figs to fill your mouth”, these words symbolize female genital, and gustatory sense is used because goblin’s men want maid to taste and try them.
Therefore, the voice of Goblin and existence of fruits create an erotic image, and this image enough to temp Laura.
Intense description of eating fruits is directly related to Rossetti’s erotic temperament.
In the poem, there are intense descriptions of eating fruits such as “she never tasted such before…she suck’d and suck’d and suck’d more…she sucked until her lips were sore”
Therefore, the way the poem expresses the fruits Laura consumes is full of sexual connotations.
Since Laura cannot resist the call of the Goblins, she agrees to eat the fruits.
Eating fruits is like an erotic ecstasy and it evokes Laura’s sense of sexual desires and eliminates her erotic repression.
Illustration to Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market by Winifred Knights, 1916, pen and ink and watercolor on paper, 21.4 x 17.9 cm, University College London Art Museum (photo: commons.wikimedia.org)
Homoerotic desire between two sisters creates an erotic temperament.
Although Lizzie is able to resist the temptation, she confronts the goblins and returns with the juice for the sake of saving Laura.
Lizzie says, “come and kiss me…hug me, kiss me, and suck my juice”.
The closeness and intimacy between Laura and Lizzie contain an erotic element and refer to homoerotic desire between two sisters.
On the other hand, erotic elements are contrasted with a strong sense of religious severity and morality.
Poem is like a religious cautionary tale for the one who deviates from the religious path.
Lizzie makes Laura remember Jeanie, a girl who died after eating the goblin men's fruit before the story begins.
Although Jeanie is a shadow figure in the story, she becomes a foreshadowing, especially for Laura.
Jeanie represents a girl who deviates from the religious path for the sake of her desires and is punished.
Warning for girls gives a religious message.
Goblin Market (One of three illustrations). They were made by Kinuko Y. Craft and were published on Playboy magazine on 1973.
(photo: deadbutdreaming.wordpress.com)
Through fruits, there is a reference to Bible and Forbidden fruit.
The lines saying “Lizzie, Lizzie, have you tasted / For my sake the fruit forbidden?” have a religious connotation.
Laura is punished just like Eve who was punished by God for eating the forbidden fruit.
After eating the fruits, Laura becomes weaker and is on the verge of death.
Laura's weakening after eating the forbidden fruits refers to the terrible consequences of giving in to sinful desires.
The poem includes the theme of salvation and redemption.
Lizzie is represented as domestic picture of an angelic woman with the words like “lizzie with an open heart” or “white and golden Lizzie stood, / like a lily in a flood."
At the beginning of the poem, Lizzie does not yield to Goblin men’s temptation and the only reason why she accepts to eat fruits is to save her sister, and she sacrifices herself.
Therefore, her eating of the fruit is necessary for salvation and redemption.
Her determination and sacrifice save her sister, and this portrayal refers to religious severity, power of purity, and moral fortitude.
All these examples show that in “Goblin Market” by C. Rossetti, erotic temperament and religious severity are intertwined, and this reflects the duality of the poems of the Victoria period.
Comments