Goblin Market

📘 About This Book

Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market is a fable of two sisters who encounter the goblin merchants, who offer tempting fruits with beguiling voices, begging them to try, to taste, to touch. A friend had succumbed to their alluring charm before, and then, having tasted, gradually wasted away to death. One sister heeds the warning signs and begs the other sister to follow her home and ignore the beckoning calls of the insistent, persistent goblins who promise so much. But the second sister lingers to know more, and, even when admitting that she has no money, they accept just a lock of her golden hair for payment. She tastes of the fruits and is delighted. Not only is it delicious, but she wants more and more. When finally she is satisfied, she returns home, perfectly safe -- so she thought. But day by day, the yearning after more of the marvelous fruit sets in, but she doesn't hear the siren voices of the goblins ever again. Her sister, however, who was cautious, does hear the voices, and recognizes that she will have to do something or she will lose her sister as they lost their friend. She emboldens herself to go to the goblins, tosses them a coin, but does not bite the fruit. She is assaulted, wheedled, poked, argued with -- but she is stubborn. Returning, she is able to save her sister from the consequences of the temptation. Although she was right, she put herself in danger in order to reclaim her sister. Christina and her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, were members of the Pre-Rafaelite movement, in the course of which, D.G. translated a number of Italian poets who were friends or acquaintances of the young Dante Alighieri, and published their work, primarily love poems, as Dante and His Circle (www.createspace.com/4024060) -- somewhat resembling the artistic kinship of the Pre-Rafaelites.

📖 Summary

Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market is a captivating fable written in verse that explores temptation, sisterly devotion, and the perilous consequences of yielding to forbidden desires. The narrative centers on two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, who live a peaceful domestic life together. Their tranquility is continually disrupted by the haunting, beguiling cries of goblin merchants who emerge at morning and evening to sell a variety of luscious, exotic fruits. These creatures use alluring voices to entice passersby, begging them to try, to taste, and to touch their alluring wares. The danger of these merchants is not merely hinted at; it is a known reality. A mutual acquaintance named Jeanie had previously succumbed to the goblins' charming calls, and after tasting their fruit, she gradually wasted away to death, serving as a tragic cautionary tale. One of the sisters, Lizzie, heeds these ominous warning signs with absolute caution. She begs her sister Laura to follow her straight home, urging her to completely ignore the beckoning and insistent calls of the persistent goblins who promise so much delight. Despite the warning, the second sister, Laura, lingers behind out of sheer curiosity to know more about the magical market. When she realizes she has no copper coin to pay for the feast, the resourceful and cunning goblins readily accept an alternative form of currency: a golden lock of her shining hair. Eager and reckless, Laura tastes of the forbidden fruits and finds them overwhelmingly delicious. She consumes them with fervor, and afterward, she desires more and more of the enchanting sweetness. When she is finally satisfied with her indulgence, she returns home, believing she is perfectly safe and that her secret transgression will go unnoticed. However, the true price of her indulgence is only beginning to unfold, as the bitter aftermath of her temptation threatens to consume her, setting the stage for an ultimate test of sacrifice and enduring familial love.

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