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Christina Rossetti "Goblin Market" 1. What seems to be the subject of the poem? Why do you think the poet cast it as a fairy tale? 2. What are features of the poem’s rhymes and rhythm? How are the stanzas divided? What is the effect of the use of different stanza lengths? 3. What are some allegorical features of the opening section? 4. How are the goblin men described? Is it significant that they traffic outside the town? What effect is created by the fact that they act in concert, not as individuals? What other cues are given to indicate how we should respond to them? 5. What significance is attached to the fact that they wish to sell their fruits? How is the theme of marketplace exchange used throughout the poem? 6. How are Laura and Lizzie contrasted? How does each embody or reject Victorian conventions for women? What infractions of Victorian gender codes does Laura commit? 7. What is the significance of the poem’s account of Jeanie? What imagery surrounds her partaking of goblin fruits, and her death? 8. What sexual overtones appear in the scene of Laura and the goblin men? How is Laura punished for her actions? 9. What symbolism is associated with Lizzie’s redemption of her sister? What features of her effort enable her to be successful? 10. One rather well-known interpretation of this poem is that the “sisters” share a lesbian relationship. Can you see evidence for this view in the poem? 11. How do you interpret the scene in which Lizzie sucks the juices and experiences spasms? 12. Christina Rossetti was a devout Anglican who worked in a home for fallen women. How may this poem have reflected her religious convictions? 13. What is the meaning of the poem’s ending? Do you think the sisters have retreated to form a separate enclave, or will their values affect their outer society? 14. Can you think of any sources or analogues for this poem? How unusual is the poem for its time in portraying the redemption of a “fallen woman”? 15. Why do you think this poem has continued to be popular into the present?
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