Rossetti Critical Notes

Victorian Interpretations

The celebration of Rossetti's poetry for its artistic and natural freedom, as well as its reinforcement of Victorian moral and religious ideals.

Athenaeum review of Goblin Market (1862)

The interpretation of the moral of Goblin Market as "the reward of toil and duty" and the celebration of the organic beauty of the poems.

Saturday Review review of Goblin Market (1862)

The interpretation of the moral of Goblin Market as "the cultivation of family affection and trust" and the appreciation of Rossetti's labor and skill in her work.

Algernon Swinburne

The praise of Rossetti's poetry as "glorious" and of the highest quality.

Sir Walter Raleigh

The celebration of the purity and emotiveness of Rossetti's poetry.

Theodore Watts

The attribution of Rossetti's poetic power to her piety and her expression of sainthood through her poetry.

Alexander Smellie

The recognition that Rossetti's inspiration stemmed from her piety.

Ellen Proctor

The acknowledgement of Rossetti's fame and renown for her devotional poems.

Arthur Christopher Benson

The recognition of Rossetti's fervent religious faith and the impact of her desolate experiences on her poetry.

Virginia Woolf

The portrayal of Rossetti's melancholy reading, her self-imposed restrictions on love and poetry due to her religious beliefs, and the visual beauty of her work.

Feminist and Marxist Interpretations

The reevaluation of Rossetti's poetry in expressing the female experience of the Victorian era and its intersection with Marxist frameworks.

Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar

The exploration of the confinement and entrapment of women in their homes and in male texts, as well as the use of spatial imagery in their writing.

Dorothy Mermin

The interpretation of "Goblin Market" as a fantasy of feminine freedom, heroism, and self-sufficiency, and the central role of relationships between women in Rossetti's works.

Dolores Rosenblum

The reclamation of the dead lady motif in Rossetti's poetry as a representation of the female poet's power and the engagement of Rossetti and Dickinson with major issues of their time.

Sharon Leder and Andrea Abbott

The expression of gender exclusion and a radical feminist critique of society in Rossetti's poetry.

K. J. Mayberry

The belief that poetry must reflect the ordered, moral universe of Anglo-Catholic belief and the close association between poetry and prayer in Rossetti's work.

Terrence Holt

The intersection of sexual and economic systems of relation in "Goblin Market" and the dangerous nature of the market for women.

Virginia Sickbert

The interpretation of Rossetti's reinterpretation of Scripture, particularly her elevation of Eve and emphasis on her reward of giving life.

BBC Radio 4 Adaptation

The exploration of addiction and the power of sisterhood in overcoming it through a radio dramatization of "Goblin Market" combined with real-life testimonies.