Goblin Market (1862)

Christina Rossetti

• 1. Read the text and note down:• why Laura refuses the goblins’ offer at first.• She hasn’t got the money to pay.• what they suggest.• They suggest she use one of her golden

curls to pay.• whether Laura agrees to their suggestion.• She agrees.• what she does and feels after that.• She drops a tear and then she eats the

fruit with relish(=delight/pleasure).• what she is left with at the end.• At the end she is left with a kernel stone.

• 2. Focus on the meaning. Underline the phrases that tell you that:

• Laura is conscious of having lost an important part of herself.

• “precious golden curl” (line 12);• “she dropped a tear more rare than a pearl” (line 13)• 2. she is experiencing something

unknown(=new).• “She never tasted such before” (line 18);• “fruits that unknown orchard bore” (line 21)• 3. her experience may have evil consequences. • “How should it cloy with length of use” (line 19)• “until her lips were sore” (line 22).

• 3. Focus on the language. The poet uses comparisons, repetition, sensuous language and symbol to describe Laura’s experience.

• What do the comparisons stress?• They stress the good taste of the fruit.• What word is repeated ? What aspect of Laura does it stress

and how does it link with the adjective “sweet-tooth” in line 1?• The word “sucked” is repeated five times and it confirms

the adjective “sweet-tooth” used in line 1 to describe Laura’s greed .

• Which sense/s does the language appeal to?• The language appeals to the senses of taste and sight.• What do you think the goblins, the fruit and the kernel are

symbols of?• (Open answer)• Possible answer : The goblins may be the symbol of

temptation; the fruit may be the symbol of sin and the kernel may be the symbol of guilt.

Revision • What kind of family did Christina Rossetti belong to?• She was the fourth child of a gifted family of Italian origins.

Her father was an exiled patriot and she lived in a highly stimulating atmosphere. She shared her brother Dante’s artistic interests and the Pre-Raphaelite taste for beautiful imagery and pictorial effect.

• Describe the two contrasting sides of her personality.• Her love for the living world strongly contrasted with her deep

orthodox religiosity which prevented her from fulfilling her passions and desires such as marrying men she loved but who did not share her religious faith.

• What are the main themes of her poetry.• The transitory character of material things and the contrast

between the beauty of the material world by which she is attracted and her sense of duty that prevents the poet from fulfilling her passions.

• How are these themes reflected in the poems you have read?• “A Birthday” reveals the more joyous side of Christina

Rossetti’s personality, her Pre-Raphaelite taste for beautiful imagery matched with sincerity of feelings. “The Goblin Market” instead shows the contradictory aspects of her personality. Laura embodies Christina’s attraction for the beauty of the sensuous world surrounding her while Lizzie represents her strong sense of duty which forces her to restrain her passions which she considers sinful.

• A goblin is a small ugly creature in children’s stories that likes to trick people.• They are attributed with various (sometimes conflicting) abilities,temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. • In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little creatures somewhat related to the brownie and gnome. • They are usually depicted as small, sometimes only a few inches tall, sometimes the size of a dwarf. They also often are said to possessvarious magical abilities.