Goblin Market

About “Goblin Market”

Goblin Market is an 1862 narrative poem by Christina Rossetti. It follows the story of sisters Laura and Lizzie, who are tempted by goblin merchants offering fruit. Rossetti wrote the poem with complex imagery, which some interpret as sexual. In a letter to her publisher, she said it was not meant for children. However, she publicly claimed it was intended for children and later wrote many poems for that audience. The poem was included in her first poetry collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems, and was illustrated by her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a Pre-Raphaelite artist. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)