Christina Rossetti’s Divided Psyche And İts Reflection İn Her Poetry: "Goblin Market"

Authors : Begüm Sude Mizrak, Tülay Dağoğlu

Pages : 683-701

Doi:10.47994/usbad.1335773

View : 140 | Download : 120

Publication Date : 2023-12-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Christina Rossetti’s entire life is all about her struggle against the tension between contrasting identities: literary and religious. Thus, her work is a reflection of her endeavour to balance both the societal and religious dichotomies, generated by the contradictions and complexities of the Victorian era. The role of religious reading in Rossetti\'s life and its impact on her poetry is undeniable, highlighting her speculative critique of restrictive gender roles and ideals of purity coerced by Christianity. Furthermore, societal expectations of Victorian womanhood and their influence on Rossetti\'s self reflect the multitudinous complexities of the female identity in her work. Such is the inconclusive Christianity in her soul’s quest behind duality and vacillation in her work, stemming from and leading to a divided psyche. The study aims to investigate Rossetti’s divided psyche oscillating between rebellious and compliant through the contrasting characters of Laura and Lizzie in \"Goblin Market\" to explore her ambivalent imagination of the female agency and the conventional gender roles that are underpinned by the Christian theology in her poetic exploration of the Victorian woman.
Keywords : Viktorya Dönemi Şiiri, Bölünmüş Ruh, Goblin Market, Christina Rossetti