Unpacking the Significance of Sisterhood in Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market

The article 'The Potential of Sisterhood: Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market' by Janet Galligani Casey examines the theme of sisterhood in Christina Rossetti's poem Goblin Market. The author focuses on the feminist theories and readings to analyze the concept of sisterhood, highlighting the themes of freedom of choice and social discourse in Victorian society. The critic also critiques the work of Rossetti through both neo-classical and modern deconstruction methods, exploring the poet's inner self and psychological interpretation.

Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Annotated Bibliography: CG Rossetti Goblin Market- a perception of Sisterhood
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Author Note

1ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following paper with its multidimensional mode of interpreting literature sense on
social and literary discourses tries to gloss on the works in association with C.G Rossetti’s much
important Victorian poem Goblin Market. The prime focus of this annotated bibliography is on
the interpretation of sisterhood that was extremely prevalent in the nineteenth century England.
Sisterhood was an important social phenomenon that succinctly represented the Victorian
England and its polished social bonding. In fact, the relationship between two or more women
called sisterhood challenged the patriarchal dominance thus changing the mode of social
interpretation and acceptance of the “second sex”. A subtle feministic move that automatically
prevailed within the Victorian society brought up the argument that the women are not only
expected to do household tasks. They are rather, more importantly, a social being who could take
active part where they feel to do. In this context this has been taken into certain consideration
pertaining to the effective consideration of the factor that was highly considerate about the social
strata of the women in the then social attributes. Goblin Market succinctly portrays the heroic
concept of the sister hood of Victorian England. Followings are the shortlisted bibliographies
that have coherently illustrated the same topic. It does not only explore the women’s change in
the act of dependence- from men to other women, but it also investigates the psychological
deconstruction of woman hood that has possibly changed into sister hood.
Reference:
Mermin, Dorothy. "Heroic Sisterhood in" Goblin Market"." Victorian Poetry(1983): 107-118.

2ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Description:
“Heroic Sisterhood in Goblin Market- Victorian Poetry by Dorothy Mermin is an
effective critique. According to the author, “Goblin Market” written by Christina Georgina
Rossetti is often read and interpreted as an allegorical piece of writing. There is a popular notion
pertaining to the reading of the poem is that the poem is read as the dual portrayal of Rossetti’s
own characteristic traits. The “evil of self indulgence” has also been talked about by the critic.
The line ‘eat me, drink me, love me” is claimed to be self dictatorship that demonstrates the
consideration of demonstrating own beauty in front of the natural elements in a society. Sister-
hood is often understood as the text of Rossetti’s dream or vision. As a Pre-Raphaelite poet she
has developed and owned some certain characteristic traits of her own that have actually
considered the perpetual understanding of the process.
Summary:
The critic has argued that the poem in the Pre-Raphaelite structure has argued that
demonstration of women as conceiving a heroic character has not been prevalent in the English
literature. The women have always been depicted as a figure- wimped, submissive, and
agreeable- a machine used for procreation. However, the growing literacy level and the
availability of logical works at the door step have become key instruments in the process
enlightenment of the women in every social and economic level where class became an
important parameter to judge the characteristic development of an individual. In this context this
has to be taken into certain consideration pertaining to the effective understanding of the fact that
in most of the literary activities the poet has talked about the life that transcends.

3ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Evaluation:
However, this specific work, according to the critic, leads the women to an erotic world
of imagination where the men were goblins. After coming back from the world of imagination,
the sisters started living happily with their girl children. The author has also talked about the
freedom of choice that highly pertained to the choice of accepting or orienting the counterpart
i.e. the men. In this case this has been taken into certain consideration that the fantasy, the
acceptance of beloved, consideration of sexual fantasy and even the necessity of the conversation
all surrounded the girls who were the core part of dominance. It actually, according to the
author, divided the self in two different modes or entities. “Goblin Market”, says Dorothy
Mermin, is not a poem that relates to unconscious sexual fantasy, nor does it encompass
allegorical sexual repression as it apparently seems. However, the formation and the literary
structure of the poem clearly relate it to the acceptance of womanhood in to the core and most
intimate world of the women.
Reference:
Casey, Janet Galligani. "The Potential of Sisterhood: Christina Rossetti's" Goblin
Market"." Victorian Poetry 29, no. 1 (1991): 63-78.
Description:
“The Potential of Sisterhood: Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market” written by Janet
Galligani Casey focuses on the Biblical consideration of Rossetti. The poem “Goblin Market”,
according to Casey (1991) is often considered to be a note on the prominence of the term
sisterhood. The critic has stringently relied upon the feminist theories while elucidating the

4ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
concept of sisterhood. Specifically, the author has centered the feminist reading centering the
theme of sisterhood and freedom of choice in the social discourse.
Summary:
It needs to be comprehended that there is a clear chance for the entire understanding of
the process. The author has remained focused in the interpretation through the neo-classical
mode. According to the neo- classical method of deconstruction, the critics tend to incorporate
personal alignments of a poet with the literary works. However, the critics do not become
judgmental in this process. They often tend to deconstruct the piece of writings based on the
writing style and the used literary devices. In this paper Casey has critiqued on the work of
Rossetti through both the processes where she has focused on the major understanding of the
process. Since this has been taken into certain As a matter of fact, this has been taken into certain
consideration pertaining to the effective culture in the Victorian society. The Victorian England
was highly ethical in terms of preservation and demonstration of values in both social and
philosophical discourse. However, there was a certain lacuna and that was in the consideration
of women as the equal counterpart in the society that was strictly dominated by men.
Evaluation:
The critic has also penetrated into the fact of nineteenth century sexual politics.
According to Charlotte Perkins Gilman the nineteenth century has remained oversexed. The
reason behind such social and political activity has been acceptance level of the women in the
then society- to be specific the then patriarchal society.
According to Casey, Goblin Market has exploited two of the Biblical stories- Christ and
Eve. It has thus implied upon the traditional roles of men and women following the directive

5ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
guidelines from the Bible. Following the Judeo- Christian tradition, the redeemer male has been
provided with some specific roles and so were the women. Goblin Market can be read as the
breakage of the bars that the women are predetermined to be the weaker sections. The critic has
thus upheld the notion of “fallen women”. In this context this has been taken into certain
consideration pertaining to the effective understanding of the process that was highly imperative
in due comprehension of sisterhood.
Reference:
Weathers, Winston. "Christina Rossetti: The Sisterhood of Self." Victorian Poetry 3, no. 2
(1965): 81-89.
Description:
In the paper “Christina Rossetti: The Sisterhood of Self” Winston Weathers has taken the
Freudian concept of psycho analysis in to consideration while illustrating the perception of self
ad other. According to the critic, the terminology used by Sigmund Freud- ego, super-ego and id
relate to the complex human psyche. The concept of sisterhood actually focuses on the creation
of the actual understanding that has been focused on the basic case so as to finally make it basic
cultural difference. More than the culture, the author has focused on the psychological
interpretation of the poet. In this case, there has been no modern deconstruction process.
Summary:
The critic has stringently analyzed the effective psychological interpretation and
understanding of CG Rossetti. Weathers has analyzed that this has been a psychological
confession of self repression. She has, according to the critic, been withdrawn and submissive
towards the confession of self repression where she was highly occupied by self. According to

6ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dorothy Margaret Stuart, “nothing is more curious in the mentality of Christina Rossetti than her
almost complete independence of external stimuli”. The awareness of self has been influenced by
the conception of sister hood.
Evaluation:
Rossetti’s myth is based on the expression of inner self. The author has deliberately
focused on inner stimuli of the poet rather than emphasizing upon the literary skills and words
used by the poet. The allegories were directly connected with the mental stimuli where the
acceptance of sisterhood was developed within the inner self. Rossetti’s sisterhood concern was
highly interlinked with the entity of her own. Rossetti was highly influenced by the religious
myths. She was well aware of the Bible and she had the basic understanding of the fact
pertaining to the effective understanding of the issues that was highly in contest with her
closeness with the religious scripts. Her expression was highly influenced by the through process
of Biblical stories and the concept of sisterhood of Rossetti was highly moved by the basic
conceptualization of how she could focus on her self-conscious and sub-conscious.

7ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Reference:
Casey, Janet Galligani. "The Potential of Sisterhood: Christina Rossetti's" Goblin Market"."
Victorian Poetry 29, no. 1 (1991): 63-78.
Mermin, Dorothy. "Heroic Sisterhood in" Goblin Market"." Victorian Poetry (1983): 107-118.
Weathers, Winston. "Christina Rossetti: The Sisterhood of Self." Victorian Poetry 3, no. 2
(1965): 81-89