I really enjoyed the interpretative process of curating the numerous editions and renditions of Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market. It really makes me realize that the process of judging a book by its cover is just as important as getting textual information from the work itself. At the same time, it also made me realize that modern-day interpretations really does influence and impose itself on Victorian texts and what they can or can’t handle.The process itself was fun as it made behave to actively look at the details of the illustrations that are often overlooked or skipped over.

I was honestly surprised that Goblin Market had been illustrated for children more so than the pornographic audience—not because of its sex and violence, but at the general idea that children would also found goblin Market interesting to read about. It makes me curious as to what their interpretations of the text would be if there was no illustrations to it—focusing more so on the words. Seeing as the Victorian period had seen children as “little adults” and associated them as being capable, its interesting that modern desire to baby children has coloured our images and assumed that everyone must have babied kids. It really makes you think.