English Literature After 1830: Sisterhood in Goblin Market

This annotated bibliography explores the theme of sisterhood in Christina Rossetti's 'The Goblin Market' through the analysis of three scholarly sources. The first source examines the concept of 'giving' and 'exchange' in Victorian culture, relating it to the commercialization of women and the sisters' experience in the market. The second source discusses the Victorian animal market and the societal pressures on women, drawing parallels with the sisters' vulnerability. The third source highlights Rossetti's activism and the importance of sisterhood as a form of support and protection against patriarchal forces. Each source is described, summarized, and evaluated in relation to the poem's themes.

Running head: ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
Annotated bibliography- Theme of sisterhood in Christina Rossetti’s The Goblin Market
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ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
1. Christina Rossetti, “Goblin Market” on the topic of SISTERHOOD
Source 1: Fulmer, Constance M. "Giving Women: Alliance and Exchange in Victorian Culture
by Jill Rappoport." Victorian Periodicals Review 46, no. 2 (2013): 279-281.
Description
This source highlights different and wide ranging perspectives of Jill Rappoport towards
“giving”. However, the perspectives are women-oriented. Through the statements of Jill, the
women of the Victorian culture have encountered upgradation from the practice of looking after
the needs, demands and requirements of her family. This upliftment has resulted in safeguarding
their rights and pushing them towards empowerment. Perceiving these aspects from Christina
Rossetti’s The Goblin Market, portrayal of Lizzie and her sister within the market is considered
as the commercial devour of their individuality. The pennies, which the sisters pay for buying the
juicy fruits is exchanged for the seduction, which the goblins offer. The perspective of the earlier
sentence destroys the purity of sisterhood.
Summary
The pathetic condition of women maintains continuity even in the Victorian era. Inability
to express their desires and longings were trapped under the commercialization with their respect
and individuality. However, Jill, through her propositions in this source provides an
empowerment to the Victorian era. Browsing through the different interpretations of “exchange”,
Fulmer, being the mouthpiece of Jill, gifts women back their rights of freedom and liberty. In
view of this gift, the sisters in The Goblin Market become ordinary girls, going to the market to
get grocery. In terms of these connotations, exchange is only the transactions between sisters
like Laura and Lizzie and the vegetable sellers.

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ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
Evaluation
“Alliance” in terms of women is interpreted only as marriage. “Exchange” means giving
the daughters in marriage in exchange of the getting a son-in-law and a share of their family.
Both these interpretations nullify the individual sentiments of the girls and women in terms of
marriage. However, this source acts as an empowerment for the women in terms of safeguarding
their rights. This is one of the greatest strengths of the source. Portrayal of the women in the
commercial transactions of the market can be interpreted as the transactions of their dignity and
self-respect. In terms of this connotation, the strength turns into weakness, adding to the
complexities of women amidst the pressurizations of the patriarchal society.
Attaching the aspect of the sisters in The Goblin Market, exchange of pennies for buying
fruits can be just the satisfaction of hunger. This need fulfillment is devoid of the exchange of
bodies for experiencing pleasure. Viewing it from the other perspective, the goblins or the
vegetable sellers seduce the sisters for making bodily transactions by buying the juicy fruits. The
second perspective is a kind of suppression for the women by the goblins in terms of gobbling up
the sisters. Typical evidence of this lies in impositions towards squeezing the juices on the body
of the sisters and devouring them. In view of their transcendence into the other world, due to the
intake of hypnotized and seductive juice, the sisters can be grouped into a class of women,
struggling with their futile fates. Herein lays the appropriateness of the word “culture” in terms
of projecting the patriarchal culture of the Victorian era. The aspect of sisterhood, projected in
the poem can be related with the feminist groups, which fought for the freedom of the women
from the shackles of patriarchy. Here lies the gifting of women their rights to vote, is justified.

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ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
Source 2: Mayer, Jed. "“Come Buy, Come Buy!”: Christina Rossetti and the Victorian Animal
Market." In Animals in Victorian Literature and Culture, pp. 213-231. Palgrave Macmillan UK,
2017.
Description
The source starts with the universal truth regarding the contribution of women behind the
success of man. The perspective attached to this statement is marriage, for which the women
were prepared since the time; they penetrated into puberty, as it signified their transformation
into an adult. This process was prolonged and extracted the individuality of the women. This
situation generated frustration and depression among the women, compelling them to leave their
houses and take shelter in the communities run by the feminist groups. The struggle of these
groups was full of hurdles, which raised doubts in the minds of the women regarding their safety
and security. The major drive behind the doubts and dilemmas is the exposure of harsh and
orthodox approach by the patriarchy. These aspects are applicable for the culture and community
in which Laura and Lizzie live as sisters.
Summary
The source is a picturization of Christina Rossetti regarding the community culture of the
Victorian era. This picturization is the outcome of women’s confinement within the limitations
of marriage. Marriage snatched away the freedom of women, increasing within them the desire
of joining community groups, so as to break free from the shackles of the patriarchy. The news
of the women joining the community feminist groups reached to men, who made plans to shatter
these efforts. The source performs the role of a spy, giving information to the readers regarding
the steps taken by the patriarchy to remove the aspect of freedom from the lives of the women.
Although the propositions are for the married women, the implications enhance the clarity of the

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ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
sisters in The Goblin Market in terms of the consequences, which they have to encounter if they
regularly go to buy fruits in the community of the goblins.
Evaluation
Feeling sympathetic towards the tragic plight of the women, compelled writers like
Rossetti to generalize the issue of commercialization of the women in the public sphere. This
generalization was a plea to the society for expressing the pathos of the women and thinking of
their upgradation. Herein lays the appropriateness of forming feminist groups within the
communities. The main aim of these groups was inspiring the women for striving for their rights.
To some extent, Laura can be considered as the representative of the feminist groups. Typucal
evidence of this lies in her expression of concern for Lizzie when she becomes physically and
mentally weak. Countering this, her strength is of no use in comparison to the seductive luring of
the goblins. Herein lays the correlation with the cries of the goblins, “come buy come buy”. The
evidence of this fact lies in the devouring, which Laura experiences while taking some of the
fruits for Lizzie, so that she can lick it from her body. This licking strengthens the blood
relationship between the sisters, adding value to the aspect of sisterhood as a whole. The action
of devouring exposed by the goblins is “animalistic”, which makes their male ego aggressive. It
is this aggression, towards which the women creations of Rossetti- Bennett sisters in Pride and
Prejudice; Laura and Lizzie in The Goblin Market among others are helpless.

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ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
Source 3: Rossetti’s, Christina. "“No friend like a sister”." Victorians and the Case for Charity:
Essays on Responses to English Poverty by the State, the Church and the Literati (2013): 142.
Description
The source starts with the reference of The Awakening Conscience, which invokes the
consciousness of the women in terms of the need of sister like friend. The efforts put in by the
early reformers add value to this source as well as the quest of women towards their need of a
companion. However, the main attraction of the source is the segment on Christina Rossetti
being an activist towards safeguarding the rights of the Victorian women. The cluster of these
feminist groups aligns with the inner essence of the term “sisterhood”, which provided them with
the much needed companion. Her abhorrence towards evil gains an important position in the
source, igniting a spark for the formation of sister communities. In this connotation, the Laura
and Lizzie are Christina’s representative and prime example, which compelled her to think of
something for the societal upliftment of the women.
Summary
Rossetti’s portrayal as a representative of the suppressed women is the main attraction of
the source. Although the source highlights the efforts of the feminists for transformation of the
women’s life, the segment of Rossetti and her generalization of the relationship “sister”, through
the example of The Goblin Market, is the unique selling proposition of the source. In view of this
connotation, it can be said that Lizzie, under the toxic influence of the seductive fruits, gets the
care and nourishment of her sister Laura. To the surprise of the readers, Laura also falls prey to
the seductive cries of the animalistic goblin. The main purpose of this is the recovery of Lizzie.
Herein the introductory quotation of the source is justified in terms of the much needed care and
nourishment needed by Lizzie.

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ENGLISH LITERATURE AFTER 1830
Evaluation
The quotation, “No friend like a sister” can be equated with the quotation, “A friend in
need is a friend indeed”. Both the quotations take the relationship of sister to the level of
friendship, which is a natural behavior among girls in the teenage, similar to the portrayal of
Laura and Lizzie in The Goblin Market. Their falling prey to the attractive and juicy fruits
merges their identity with the ordinary girls getting attracted by the colorful fruits and vegetables
of the market. Here, the readers can identify their fates with Laura and Lizzie, especially the ones
who have unfortunately lost their parents in the budding stage. It is at this stage, that the sisters
like Laura and Lizzie need to realize that there is no friend like a sister, who will provide the
protection from the animalistic goblins (men), who are waiting for an opportunity to devour their
purity and innocence.