Madness or insanity is a term that has been used throughout history to describe a wide range of mental health conditions. Women have often been diagnosed with mental illness at higher rates than men, and their experiences with mental illness have been shaped by gender stereotypes and societal expectations. In literature, women who experience mental illness are often portrayed in a negative light, particularly as being hysterical or unstable; however, there are also examples of women who can overcome their mental illness and lead successful lives — because of, and not despite their illness.

The two stories “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman each provide unique insight into the psychological impact of confinement, providing a parallel exploration of insanity in regards to the women protagonists. Rossetti and Gilman use similar themes of longing and hallucination to emphasise their characters’ struggle against patriarchal dominance and their eventual descent into madness in the Victorian era.

“Goblin Market” emphasises the physical and mental ramifications on women who submit to sexual-male influences. “The Yellow Wallpaper” utilises the trope of insanity as means of freedom and aversion to the dangers of succumbing to patriarchal forces and oppressive societal norms, enforcing the idea that the departure from a gendered reality allows for autonomy and self-expression. In both stories, insanity serves as an expression of female oppression, illustrating how oppressive societal structures can force women to their breaking points.

In “Goblin Market”, Christina Rossetti utilizes the pain of lost innocence and the trepidation of giving in to the sexual temptation to create her poem, available on the Poetry Foundation. The poem tells the story of two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, and their encounter with the mysterious goblin merchants. Through vivid imagery, Rossetti reveals the metaphorical nature of the goblin’s fruit, which represents both the physical and moral consequences of sexual temptation. While the poem appears to be a warning against the dangers of succumbing to such temptation, it could also be argued that it serves as an allegory for Laura’s psychological descent into insanity due to a sexually transmitted infection such as syphilis. Antony Harrison, in his piece for Victorian Poetry, discusses “Laura’s powerfully sensual experience of the Goblin fruit, defining her temptation by the Goblin men as a sexual one.”

One of the most prevalent symbols in “Goblin Market” is the goblin’s fruit. By presenting the fruit as something that comes with a price, Rossetti is alluding to the physical and moral consequences of engaging in sexual activity. The poem describes the fruit as being both “rare” and “delicious,” emphasising its forbidden appeal, as well as stating the fruit has a “secret virtue” and that those who taste it “grew wise”, a direct reference to the knowledge that comes with sexual experience. The fruit described as being both “crimson” and “poisonous” further hints at the consequences of sexual activity, a clear reference to the physical and emotional pain resulting from engagement. Harrison elaborates on these references, noting how “the fear and sublimation of female sexual desire and insistence upon the dangerous, if not fatal, effects of its indulgence emerges often — metaphorically, if not literally — in much of Rossetti’s poetry.”

“There are things in that paper which nobody knows but me, or ever will. Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day. It is always the same shape, only very numerous.”

“The Yellow Wallpaper”, available on Project Gutenberg, provides a stark and powerful commentary on the treatment of women in the late 19th century, depicting a woman’s descent into a debilitating mental breakdown and the oppressive confinement that follows. Gilman examines the prescriptive idea of “rest care” as an antidote to the hysteria (insanity) of women in her time, and how this gendered prescription often resulted in the loss of freedoms and autonomy for the already domesticated woman. Dr. Rule Quawas, in an article for the Journal of the Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association, explains how Gilman presents the narrator’s insanity as a form of rebellion and condemns social systems that contribute to women’s psychological fragmentation.

Both “Goblin Market” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” suggest that traditional gender roles and societal expectations can have a damaging effect on women’s mental health. Both stories feature women who succumb to insanity as a result of their inability to express themselves or resist the patriarchal forces around them, emphasizing the need for intersectional feminist solutions to fight oppression.