Goblin Market and Other Poems is Christina Rossetti's first major collection, published in 1862 with illustrations by her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The title poem tells of two sisters tempted by goblin fruit-sellers. The volume also contains short lyrics such as the sonnet Remember.
Goblin Market
Laura and Lizzie hear the goblin men calling them to buy their fruit. Laura tastes it, then pines away when she can no longer hear the goblins.
Lizzie bravely goes to the goblins, resists them and brings back the juice that saves her sister. The poem celebrates the love between sisters.
A strange music
The poem's irregular lines, quick rhymes and long lists of fruits give it the energy of a nursery tale and the force of a dream.
It has been read as a fairy tale, a moral fable and a poem about temptation and sacrifice.
The lyrics
The volume includes many short poems on love, death and loss, written with great simplicity and musical skill.
Remember, a sonnet in which the speaker asks to be remembered, but not with grief, is among her most loved poems.
Anecdotes
Illustrated by her brother
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelite painter, designed the frontispiece and title page, showing the goblins with their fruit.
A home for women
Christina Rossetti worked for years as a volunteer at a home in Highgate for women in need, which some critics link to the poem's themes.
Frequently asked questions
When was Goblin Market published?
In 1862.
Who are Laura and Lizzie?
The two sisters of the title poem.
Who illustrated the first edition?
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the poet's brother.