When I first read Goblin Market, I was astonished that a Victorian poet would be so full of innuendo. I think it came naturally because her brother founded a movement called the Pre-Raphaelites. They were a group of painters, poets, and art critics. I remember their art as focusing on women. They had a fascination with corruption and purity. Christina Rossetti’s poem illustrates that fascination. If you are interested in Pre-Raphaelites art, you can Google “images of Pre-Raphaelite art.” The picture here is an example.
We think of the Victorians as straitlaced. The period is really named after Queen Victoria. After the death of her beloved husband, she mostly wore mourning clothing. She had nine children, and it is clear she enjoyed sex but didn’t like the burden of pregnancy. Her physician, Sir James Ried, knew birth control methods but thought they weren’t proper for a woman of high status, so he never told her of them. Today we just shake our heads when reading about Sir James Ried and his refusal to help Queen Victoria.
