There was discourse about the place for women within the Victorian Era. Women were not seen as equal to men and due to this were neglected from the work force and not credited as equals. They were pegged as property for men and did not belong to themselves. Though Christina Rossetti was a well established poet, she was still a woman. As a youth she had volunteered at the "Magdalene Asylum" which was known for housing prositutes and women who were not seen as appropriate. This had greatly influenced her poem Goblin Market . Considering this time period in regards to feminism it is known that the women were not treated approprietly within the asylum. Christina Rossetti’s poem Goblin Market shares tones of feminism by making her poem centre around two female characters, a woman who is tempted by masculine goblin figures and a strong headed woman who fights for her family. A story about women written by women during the Victorian Era is very important as it speaks to the movement happening for women rights and equality for all throughout England.The "Magdalene Asylum" is likely where Christina Rossetti picked up many of the tones found throughout the poem and encouraged her to write about women. Women were fighting for equality and there was a wave of literature coming from female writers that help introduce the world to feminism through their work.

Sources

Thor, Jowita. "Religious and Industrial Education in the Nineteenth-Century Magdalene Asylums in Scotland." Studies in Church History, vol. 55, 06/01/2019, pp. 347-362, doi:10.1017/stc.2018.4.