As people walk by the home of Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott they gaze “where the lilies blow / Round the island there below” (7-8). Rossetti and Tennyson introduce their protagonists by associating them with the lily flower and then hem them in with warnings to create symbolic dilemmas. In each case, these narratives function on multiple levels to advocate for women’s unrestrained pleasure and freedom. There are viable claims that their stories are cautionary tales or narratives of sexuality, but here I will forgo these in favour of another: That by trapping their women with societal pressures and then coaxing them out with stereotypical Victorian males Rossetti and Tennyson give their protagonists a felix culpa which paradoxically releases them from their bonds and endows them with a sense of purpose hitherto unknown. In their poems “Lady of Shalott” (published in 1833) and “Goblin Market” (published in 1862) these poets present their perspectives through Laura and the Lady, two maidens who have been restrained from life’s joys. Writers like Christina Rossetti and Alfred Lord Tennyson began to question separate gender roles and wrote about the potential effects of such ideals on the individual. Men and women in industrial England led separate lives-men owned “the world of action and aggression” while “women were to preside over the domestic sphere” (Henderson 1520). R.” These are the initials of Rossetti’s sister, Mary, who reportedly helped her avoid eloping with a married man.Major Essay: The Poetry of the Victorian Age Another possible source of inspiration comes from the poem’s dedication, “To M.

Mary Magdalene’s Penitentiary, a refuge and charitable institution dedicated to “fallen women,” where she worked with women who were engaged in deviant sexual acts. In 1859, Rossetti began volunteering at St. Rossetti’s Inspiration: There are two proposed ideas for inspiration for this text. A woman’s chastity was thought to be the most important thing, and those who were not pure and chaste were looked down upon in society.

One thing stayed consistent throughout the era: chastity was extremely important. Now, women were at fault for enticing men, who were simply acting on their innate sexual desires. Later in the Victorian era, the rules and expectations changed. In contrast, men were at fault for incidents pertaining to indiscretion and blamed for taking advantage of the fragility of women. Women were considered weak, innocent, and naive with little to no sexual appetite or inclinations.

Victorian-era expectations: In the early Victorian era, there were strict rules and expectations about sexuality.

The goblin market