Few authors can boast the distinction of having appeared in both children’s anthologies and Playboy magazine—fewer still for the same piece of writing. First published in 1862, the narrative poem tells the story of two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, whose encounter with mysterious goblins transforms into a story of temptation and love. Rossetti combines themes of human vulnerability, sisterhood, desire, and fantasy to make “Goblin Market” a dark, lush fairy tale, equally fitting for a beautiful fall day or a cold and dreary night.
Originally published as the November 2020 dispatch
Christina Rossetti was an English poet whose works are celebrated today for their lyrical beauty and intricate symbolism. Her works include “Remember,” “The Prince’s Progress,” and mot famously, “Goblin Market.” Rossetti combined vivid imagery with musical language to create poetry with enduring messages of faith, love, sacrifice, temptation, and mortality.
Rossetti was born in London in 1830, and she worked closely with her brother, artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, during her career. Her poetry reflects her deep religious faith and insight into human emotion and experience, and she is regarded as one of the foremost poets of the nineteenth century.
