Victorian Poetry: Rosetti and Hopkins

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Recommended: Romantic and Victorian poetry

The themes present in both “Goblin Market” by Rossetti and “Spring and Fall” by Hopkins are rife with seeming contradictions of audience. In both works, the author ostensibly addresses issues typically found in a children's poem, however under the surface there are other elements in play which give the reader reason to examine the overt themes in a light more befitting something much deeper than a poem written specifically for children. In examining both works through the lens thus described it will be possible to draw ties between the two works which otherwise may not have been easily connected, as well as tease apart the hidden meaning in both works from the overt message presented at the surface level and consequently intuit the intended audience of the poems.

Christina Rossetti has publicly conceded that her poem “Goblin Market” was meant to be read for an audience of children, however privately in correspondence to her editor claimed that the poem was meant for a more mature audience. The themes present in the work are remarkably duplicitous and could easily be construed to represent a number of commentaries, including a criticism of the commoditization of women in the Victorian marriage market, a critique on the rise of marketing campaigns in pre-capitalist England, or even a commentary about the exclusion of female artists from the world of art in Victorian times. All such narratives require a reading of the poem which would entail a much greater attention to detail than a child would be expected to be able to muster, which is exactly the beauty of Rossetti's work. On the surface it is a somewhat startling fairy tale, even so it doesn't particularly push the envelope in terms of what it would expose a child too, especial...

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...d age incredibly skillfully and Rossetti in particular leaves the reader with a veritable cornucopia of narratives to choose from when it comes time to decide which meaning lies behind her work. The themes of youth, age, rejuvenation, and maturation all play a large part in both of these works, with “Spring and Fall” playing largely on the ideas of youth and maturation while “Goblin Market” leans more heavily on the themes of youth, and rejuvenation, as well as a bit of maturation in the conclusion of the work.

Works Cited

Rossetti, Christina Georgina, and Ellen Raskin. Goblin market. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1970. Print.

Hopkins, Gerard. "Spring and Fall."Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more. N.p., 1 Jan. 1918. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .

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