u/TheHauntedPassage

Within Rossetti's poem the idea of social commentary as it pertains to horror is on full display. The market itself which can be read as a comment on capitalism and systems of trade more broadly, is both a wonderful thing that can bring delights, but also one in which can turn on the individual.

In a sense the poem argues that system like finance are a way to make animalistic forces appear as something other, and to bring in an air of civility, within beastial instincts just under the surface.

In an era of crypto bros and economic woes the horror of the Goblin Market, in the idea of the individual crushed by the system have never been clearer.

What do you think? Have you read the poem, and if so how do you think it creates horror?

Were but a fantasy world available to you, do you think you would find friends or foes? Within Christina Rossetti’s The Goblin Market we see an analogue for the way in which the economy can be both a force for good and bad, and also a rebuke of the idea of fantasy creatures of being friendly. The horror arises from the way in which this system is implemented, it could be seen as an incredibly early piece of social horror. Social horror being horror featuring social commentary

Have you read the poem, how do you interpret the attack, and the broader social horror elements?

We all have memories of being little and going to some kind of religious service and being scared when the holy man scared talking about hell, or whatever your religion takes on it is. However, as we grow up we realise the idea that it is more of a proverb it is more the idea that you shouldn't do bad things because of this, it is a shaping tool for the behaviour of kids.

However, within the world of M.R James hell and the demonic is a very real force that can reach out and grab you if you take your eye off the ball. Not even if you're evil, simply if you stumble into it. Therein lies the terror that not only is it all real but it exists all around us and we are none the wiser.

James is no stranger to religion in his works, however one could argue here that it is a central focus wherein other texts it is more of a background player.

Religion as a concept is inherently scary, the idea of death, hell and the afterlife are designed to be scary and to answer complex questions. However, herein the fear is the mixing of the mundane with the extraordinary. The idea that you could just discover and evil demonic orb or that you could stumble onto a hole in a map that leads to hell.

James uses religion herein to create fear, by suggesting that rather than an abject concept or even as something you only have to face when you die that the negative aspects of religion can quite literally reach out and grab you.