Published in 1862 in a collection entitled Goblin Market and Other Poems, Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” was widely well-received by its readers despite having little commercial success initially. Rossetti originally composed this poem in April 1859, which she named “A Peep at the Goblins – To MFR.” The dedication likely refers to Rossetti’s sister, Maria Francesca Rossetti, who, along with Rossetti, volunteered at the St. Mary Magdalene house in Highgate (more formally known as the London Diocesan Penitentiary). The sisterly bond within the poem can likely be seen as a reflection of Rossetti’s own relationship with her sister, considering her original dedication.

While many scholars accept the poem to be response to the ‘fallen woman’ concept both in literature and society, Rossetti’s brother, Michael William Rossetti claimed that “[he] more than once heard Christina aver that the poem has not any profound or ulterior meaning--it is just a fairy story” (Bell). Many Victorian readers agreed with this assessment, although more modern scholars see her work as reaction to her work with the St. Mary Magdalene house. Rossetti volunteered at the penitentiary from 1859 to 1870, which housed and gave work to many women who were former sex workers. Many critics suspect that her work with these women inspired some of the themes within “Goblin Market,” such as female sexual desire and the redemption of the ‘fallen woman.’

Goblin Market and Other Poems was Rossetti’s first published volume of poetry and was printed under her own name. Before this, Rossetti had published a few other poems in magazines, including The Germ and Macmillan's Magazine, under the pseudonym Ellen Alleyn. The Goblin Market and Other Poems collection also featured illustrations of scenes from the poems drawn by her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Further Reading

“Advertisement for a House for “Fallen Women” from the Morning Post.” The British Library, www.bl.uk/collection-items/advertisement-for-a-house-for-fallen-women-fr....

Bell, Mackenzie. Christina Rossetti; a Biographical and Critical Study. Boston, Roberts Brothers, 1898, www.babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002749755&seq=7.

Roe, Dinah. “An Introduction to “Goblin Market.”” The British Library, 15 May 2014, www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/an-introduction-to-goblin-ma....