Purpose of Article This journal article, written by Victor Mendoza, observes the relationship between sexual desire and economic consumption in the poem Goblin Market. The article is broken up into five sections, each examining a different aspect of this relationship. Mendoza draws heavily from Karl Marx’s writings on economic structure to frame his argument. Summary Mendoza begins by arguing that Goblin Market is an allegory for female sexuality, drug addiction and the issues surrounding the 19th century labour market.
He notes that Christina Rossetti herself stressed that the poem should be read as an independent work and was not allegorical in any way but Mendoza suggests otherwise. It is also noted that the issues of economics and sexual desire are always intertwined in the poem, and that each school of thought is used to help shed light on the dynamics of the other. Mendoza also discusses the idea of fetishism in Goblin Market, particularly in terms of fetishism of the fruit. Mendoza provides historical context for this fetishism, noting that there were issues with harvest during 1859 meaning the purchase of fruit was a luxury.
The mystery surrounding the fruit and its origins is also discussed and Mendoza highlights that its unknown origins lead to Laura romanticising the origins of the fruit, leading to further fetishising the fruit. The use of gold in the poem is examined, with Mendoza suggesting that visually goblin and golden are dissimilar. The use of gold to describe features of virtue and innocence in the poem furthers the contrast between the goblins and Lizzie and Laura, according to Mendoza.
The mystery surrounding Lizzie’s silver penny is also discussed, with Mendoza suggesting it may symbolize the Maundy Ceremony, an ancient ceremony in which the monarch threw pennies at the poor and hand washed their feet. Mendoza suggests that the coin may symbolise fetishism of master and slave relations. Relevance/Evaluation Mendoza provides a thorough and accurate interpretation of the obvious relationship between economic consumption and sexual desire in Goblin Market.
Mendoza’s argument is easy to navigate due to the separation of different points of argument into sections. While Mendoza’s judgements do not offer a fresh perspective on this association, he does significantly add to the existing school of knowledge on the subject. Mendoza also reiterates and acknowledges the work of other scholars in the field, such as Terrence Holt. Holt, Terrence. “Men Sell Not Such in Any Town”: Exchange in “Goblin Market”. “Victorian Poetry 28, no. 1 (Spring 1990): 51-67. http://www. jstor. org. ezproxy. uws. edu. au/stable/40002040.
Purpose of Article “Men Sell Not Such in Any Town”: Exchange in “Goblin Market”, a journal article written by American Scholar Terrence Holt, discusses the interrelated nature of sexual desire and economic consumption in Goblin Market. Holt notes that this relationship is often times overlooked by academics in the field, with many only observing what the poem says in relation to gender and sexuality. Holt places significance on the aspect of economic exchange in Goblin Market and discusses how it is used to help understand female sexuality in the Victorian era.
Summary Holt’s argument centres on the idea that the goblins may act as a symbol for men in the Victorian era. He states that the fruit in which the goblins are selling represent a sense of economic and sexual power over the sisters. Holt notes that although the sisters grow their own produce to sustain their existence, the power the goblins have over the sisters compelled them to take part in this exchange. The use of various phallic symbols throughout the poem suggests the element of masculine power over the women, and renders the goblins as inherently masculine.
Holt identifies that the sisters’ only true value within the realm of the poem is associated with their physical attributes. This form of physical currency that the sisters have is exploited by the goblins under the guise of economic exchange when the goblins coerce Laura into cutting off a lock of her hair. Holt notes that this is a display of sexual power over the woman, as the cutting of the lock can be associated with castration. Holt notes that although the message of the poem can be seen as sexual, it also provides insight into the role of women in economic exchange in the Victorian era.
The use of parenthesis around the words “Men sell not such in any town” suggests that women may be more involved in economic exchange of this form. Holt suggests that the poem leaves the reader with many questions, namely “can women actually profit in a market so dominated by goblins? “. Not only does this question have implications for women in the economic world, but also to women within a patriarchal society. Relevance/ Evaluation Holt provides an in depth commentary on sexual and economic issues within the Victorian era.
He refers heavily to the conomic jargon used throughout the poem to give the reader an understanding of what it implies for gender relations and sexual desire in the Victorian era. Holt reiterates the points of other scholars in the field, particularly Gilbert and Gubar’s analysis in Madwoman in the Attic. Holt’s criticises other scholars in the field for overlooking the economic element of the poem. He makes it clear that ignoring the economic element leads to missing some of the critical points about gender and sexual desire that Rossetti has made in the poem.
Gilbert, S. M. , & Gubar, S. (1979). Part VI. Strength in agony: Nineteenth-Century poetry by women. In The madwoman in the attic: The woman writer and the nineteenth-century literary imagination (pp. 564-575). New Haven: Yale University Press. Purpose of Article This excerpt from a book chapter, written by well-known feminist scholars Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, examines the meaning of the poem Goblin Market in terms of female sexuality and economic exchange.
Their book The madwoman in the attic: The woman writer and the nineteenth-century literary imagination explores female writers in the 19th century and the implications of their work on the feminist movement. Gilbert and Gubar are known for their work concerning feminist literature, with Madwoman in the Attic being one of their most popular collaborative works. Summary The excerpt begins with Gilbert and Gubar discussing the idea of Goblin Market as a religious/sexual allegorical work. They compare it to the story of Adam and Eve, in which Eve feasts on the forbidden fruit.
They compare the eating of the goblin fruit to indulging in forbidden sexual desire, which in turn leads to a brief period of female empowerment. It is noted that the fruit represents works of art and forbidden sexuality, and this is further exemplified through the fruits untraceable origins. The mystery surrounding the fruit adds further to the desire and the need for the fruit, notes Gilbert and Gubar. They also note that this indulgence leads to Laura falling ill, which suggests that female empowerment is a disease in the context of the 19th century.
The relationship between female sexual empowerment and female societal duties is also discussed, with Gilbert and Gubar using the example of the kernel stone that won’t grow as a symbol of Laura’s inability to bear children as a result of her indulging in her sexual desires. This suggests that female sexuality interrupts a woman’s ability to fulfil her social requirements. However, Gilbert and Gubar identify that Laura is nostalgic when telling the story, suggesting that she is not telling it as a warning of danger but as a way of reliving her past sexual enlightenment.
Relevance/Evaluation This landmark text provides important insight into the feminist implications of Goblin Market. It also conveys information regarding the experiences of women in the 19th century and in turn provided a purpose for Goblin Market and its relevant social commentary. While there is little analysis of the economic aspect of the poem, Gilbert and Gubar use the idea of economic exchange to explain deeper feminist ideas in the poem.
