A review by rewildling
Goblin Market by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I came onto this book after reading Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees and rereading Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. The whimsical nature component helped paint the pictures of fairies and temptation with finer brushstrokes.
This poem reads upbeat and by the time I finished, I too felt giddy. As if I too had some of the goblin fruit. Goblin Market inspires love of family and how far one is willing to go to help those we care about. However, as time worn on, the effects did too. I realized to my horror how dark this poem really was. How lost to our fancies we can become. How little it takes to lose control of ourselves (or for some, the unintentional yet uncontrollable treachery of our bodies and minds). What the nature of obsession is. I learned that the poem might be an ode to her own sister who became addicted to laudanum.
Goblin Market may come off as a fun and whimsical faery tale ripe with choice fruits. However, I implore the reader to look beyond the glamour and witness the rotten fruit in our own lives.
This poem reads upbeat and by the time I finished, I too felt giddy. As if I too had some of the goblin fruit. Goblin Market inspires love of family and how far one is willing to go to help those we care about. However, as time worn on, the effects did too. I realized to my horror how dark this poem really was. How lost to our fancies we can become. How little it takes to lose control of ourselves (or for some, the unintentional yet uncontrollable treachery of our bodies and minds). What the nature of obsession is. I learned that the poem might be an ode to her own sister who became addicted to laudanum.
Goblin Market may come off as a fun and whimsical faery tale ripe with choice fruits. However, I implore the reader to look beyond the glamour and witness the rotten fruit in our own lives.