The fruit is alluring, and its scent sweet.

The most prominent reference to this biblical story is the variety of fruit in which the goblins attempt to peddle to the innocent passerby. Specifically, the story of Adam and Eve and the temptation they encounter in the Garden of Eden from the Bible seems to greatly influence the occurrences in “Goblin Market”. The goblins serve to entice the two sisters to come and buy their orchard fruits they call out to the women, tempting their taste buds with descriptions of “Bright-fire-like barberries/Figs to fill your mouth/Citrons from the South/Sweet to tongue and sound to eye/Come buy, come buy” (Rossetti 26-31).īoth the temptation represented by the goblins and their fruit, and the relationship played out between Laura and Lizzie serve to signify the Christian themes within the poem. The poem itself is very sexual in nature, and adult themes and evocative imagery abounds. Written by Christina Rossetti in 1859, “Goblin Market” tells the story of two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, and the daily temptation they must face in the form of goblins who sell fruit near the brook where they collect water. Though the main intent behind this poem is uncertain (was it truly intended for children?), the underlying Christian influence in the story of Lizzie and Laura is undeniable. Goblin Market explores both the Victorian repression coded into its text as well as its parallels with contemporary social issues.Laura from “Goblin Market” as Eve in the Garden of Edenīeneath the rich language and suggestive imagery in Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” exists a strong parallel to Christianity more specifically─ the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Performed by London-based ensemble The New Professionals under Rebecca Miller, the work is a unique concoction of music, mime and masks that delves into the overripe and at times grotesque and shocking imagery of Christina Rossetti’s poem.

This multitude of interpretations only adds to the poems mystique and imagery, captured here by the Pulitzer Prize winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis. The story of two sisters and their encounters with the sinister Goblin men and their ‘forbidden’ fruit, has been variously interpreted as an allegory of proto-feminism, a critique on the rise of advertising in pre-capitalist England, and an exploration of feminine sexuality in relation to the Victorian world. Christina Rossetti’s 19th Century poem Goblin Market has long divided and bemused readers as to its meaning and intent.

Goblin market