Narrative for the Women of the Women A Multicontextual Interpretation of Sisterhood in Christina Rossetti’s Poem Goblin Market

Abstract

Christina Rossetti’s allegorical poem “Goblin Market” is rich in motifs, metaphors, symbols and themes which can be interpreted through multicontextual perspectives. Although much of the significance of the sisterhood presented in the poem hinges on reception theory, some parts of these nuanced interpretations are a result of Rossetti’s deliberate criticism of Victorian social constructs that dictated the identity, position and mobility of women as passive participants in the activity of the phallogocentric society. Rossetti weaponises the poem to culminate the concepts of female solidarity, women’s emancipation, and body autonomy by subverting gender roles and resisting against patriarchal norms of the nineteenth century. The unique representation of the sisterly bond and female friendship is both a reflection of Rossetti’s subjective experiences and objective understanding of the sociology of her times. Therefore, the poem not only signifies the enduring legacy of Rossetti’s literary contribution in promoting the arguments of radical feminism, but it also functions as a dialectic of the historical progression of gender politics. She has not only questioned the societal injustices done to women’s economic freedom, but has also denounced the financial deprivation coerced upon them. Rossetti subtly criticises the underlying concepts of male chauvinism and gender inequality that the society presents through the institution of religion, so that these regulations cannot be easily disobeyed. Besides specifying these obvious flaws of religion and society, she also suggests the possible procedures for resolving these flaws by narrativising multiple counter-discourses in the poem. A postmodern reading of “Goblin Market” unfolds the fundamentals of queer theory present in the narrative, which become instrumental in portraying the liberation of the sisters. The portrayal of sickness, survival, and differently abled bodies in the poem can be commented upon from the perspective of disability studies. This paper aspires to articulate the magnanimous importance the poem harbours, especially in the literary spectrum of women’s writing, as the poem functions not merely as a deviation from preexisting traditions but also as the establishment of traditions that were way ahead of its time.