Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · English Literature

    Course version: 9ET0 · Version from Sept 2015

    Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The…

    Full specification wording

    Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Victorian Period – Christina Rossetti Selected Poems, editor Dinah Roe (Penguin, 2008): Goblin Market

    ‘Goblin Market’ is a complex narrative poem blending fairy-tale tropes with profound allegorical meanings.

    Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9ET0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 8 of 18
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    ‘Goblin Market’ is a complex narrative poem blending fairy-tale tropes with profound allegorical meanings. It follows sisters Laura and Lizzie, exploring temptation, fallenness, and redemption through Laura's consumption of the goblin fruit and Lizzie's Christ-like sacrifice to save her. The poem's irregular metre and rhyme scheme accelerate the pace during moments of frenzy, contrasting with the lyrical descriptions of the sisters. Contextual links should include Victorian anxieties about female sexuality, the concept of the 'fallen woman', and Rossetti's rehabilitative work at the Highgate Penitentiary.

    What earns the marks

    • Analyse the rich, sensory imagery used to describe the goblin fruit and its various allegorical interpretations.
    • Evaluate the contrast between Laura's yielding to temptation and Lizzie's steadfast, Christ-like redemption.
    • Examine the irregular metre and rhyme, discussing how structural chaos mirrors the psychological state of the characters.
    • Connect the narrative to Victorian contexts, including the 'fallen woman' trope and the rise of consumer capitalism.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Treating the poem solely as a children's fairy tale.

      Put it right: Explore the darker, mature allegories of sexual temptation, addiction, and religious redemption.

    • Viewing Lizzie and Laura as identical in character.

      Put it right: Contrast Laura's susceptibility to desire with Lizzie's moral fortitude and sacrificial love.

    • Overlooking the economic language.

      Put it right: Analyse the semantic field of commerce and exchange, linking it to Victorian capitalist anxieties.

    Exam tips

    • Use Lizzie's sacrifice as a focal point when discussing themes of sisterhood and female empowerment in Victorian literature.
    • Contrast the animalistic, chaotic descriptions of the goblins with the pure, natural imagery associated with the sisters.
    • Link the poem's themes of temptation and redemption to Rossetti's volunteer work with 'fallen women' at Highgate.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Victorian Period – Christina Rossetti Selected Poems, editor Dinah Roe (Penguin, 2008): Goblin Market lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    In Christina Rossetti's poem "Goblin Market", what does Laura use to pay the goblins for their fruit when she realises she has no coins?

    Listen

    Goblin Market’ is a complex narrative poem blending fairy-tale tropes with profound allegorical meanings. It follows sisters Laura and Lizzie, exploring temptation, fallenness, and redemption through Laura's consumption of the goblin fruit and Lizzie's Christ-like sacrifice to save her. The poem's irregular metre and rhyme scheme accelerate the pace during moments of frenzy, contrasting with the lyrical descriptions of the sisters. Contextual links should include Victorian anxieties about female sexuality, the concept of the 'fallen woman', and Rossetti's rehabilitative work at the Highgate Penitentiary. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the rich, sensory imagery used to describe the goblin fruit and its various allegorical interpretations. Evaluate the contrast between Laura's yielding to temptation and Lizzie's steadfast, Christ-like redemption. Examine the irregular metre and rhyme, discussing how structural chaos mirrors the psychological state of the characters. Connect the narrative to Victorian contexts, including the 'fallen woman' trope and the rise of consumer capitalism. A common slip: Treating the poem solely as a children's fairy tale. Instead, Explore the darker, mature allegories of sexual temptation, addiction, and religious redemption. Exam tip: Use Lizzie's sacrifice as a focal point when discussing themes of sisterhood and female empowerment in Victorian literature.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. The first node, 'Goblin fruit: sensory imagery', branches to two nodes. One branch goes to 'Laura yields to temptation', which leads to 'Laura's fallenness'. From there one arrow goes to 'Lizzie's Christ-like sacrifice', which leads to 'Redemption of Laura'. Another arrow from 'Laura's fallenness' goes to 'Victorian contexts: female sexuality, the 'fallen woman', Highgate Penitentiary'. The second branch from the first node goes to 'Allegorical interpretations: sexual temptation, capitalist consumption, addiction', which has an arrow back to 'Laura yields to temptation'. Finally, an arrow from 'Redemption of Laura' also points to the Victorian contexts node.
    It shows how the goblin fruit's sensory imagery leads Laura into temptation and fallenness, how Lizzie's Christ-like sacrifice brings redemption, and how these link to the poem's allegorical interpretations and Victorian contexts.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Temptation and sin

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Sisterhood and redemption

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Gender and sexuality

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Commerce and consumption

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Temptation and sin
    Explored through Laura's consumption of the goblin fruit, which leads to her fallenness and is one of the poem's profound allegorical meanings.
    Sisterhood and redemption
    Shown through Lizzie's Christ-like sacrifice to save Laura, a focal point for discussing themes of sisterhood and female empowerment in Victorian literature.
    Gender and sexuality
    Connected to Victorian anxieties about female sexuality and the concept of the 'fallen woman', including Rossetti's rehabilitative work at the Highgate Penitentiary.
    Commerce and consumption
    A possible allegorical interpretation of the sensory imagery of the fruit, linked to the semantic field of commerce and exchange and Victorian capitalist anxieties.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. The first node, 'Goblin fruit: sensory imagery', branches to two nodes. One branch goes to 'Laura yields to temptation', which leads to 'Laura's fallenness'. From there one arrow goes to 'Lizzie's Christ-like sacrifice', which leads to 'Redemption of Laura'. Another arrow from 'Laura's fallenness' goes to 'Victorian contexts: female sexuality, the 'fallen woman', Highgate Penitentiary'. The second branch from the first node goes to 'Allegorical interpretations: sexual temptation, capitalist consumption, addiction', which has an arrow back to 'Laura yields to temptation'. Finally, an arrow from 'Redemption of Laura' also points to the Victorian contexts node.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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