Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Goblin Market’ tells of the virginal sisters Laura and Lizzie’s interaction with haggard goblin fruit sellers. It parallels the temptation of Eve and the book of Genesis in much of its symbolism and images of succulent fruits, yet always feels slightly off. I have encountered many works with strong imagery around rotting fruit and this was similar in a way, but the rotting never outward, instead a danger of being tempted by what looks too perfect. 

I read this poem in looking at presentation of goblins in mainstream literary culture before Tolkien took up writing them, and alike to Fairy Tales these goblins are temptresses with dark intentions for the sole reason that they wish to be cruel as that’s what goblins do. It was interesting however that there was no specific defining trait that makes them goblins, only being haggard and slightly other than human. It perhaps opens a dialogue of those maimed or disabled falling into the haggard depiction and classification of a goblin as at no point did Rossetti truly depict the goblins as something inhuman.