Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Couldn't open the door for work so while I waited for my boss to get in I went to another book shop and bought more books instead of selling them. Goddamn.
But yay now I've officially started my Penguin Little Black Classics collection with a poem I'd been wanting to read for years. Not even an exaggeration. I'm really getting into poetry these days and this was a good'un. Which I guess makes sense since it's so well known.
But yay now I've officially started my Penguin Little Black Classics collection with a poem I'd been wanting to read for years. Not even an exaggeration. I'm really getting into poetry these days and this was a good'un. Which I guess makes sense since it's so well known.
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She cried, “Laura,” up the garden,
“Did you miss me?
Come and kiss me.
Never mind my bruises,
Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices
Squeez’d from goblin fruits for you,
Goblin pulp and goblin dew.
Eat me, drink me, love me;
Laura, make much of me;
For your sake I have braved the glen
And had to do with goblin merchant men.”
harold they’re lesbians
“Did you miss me?
Come and kiss me.
Never mind my bruises,
Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices
Squeez’d from goblin fruits for you,
Goblin pulp and goblin dew.
Eat me, drink me, love me;
Laura, make much of me;
For your sake I have braved the glen
And had to do with goblin merchant men.”
I love this poem. The goblin men always make me sad, constructed as monstrous because of the danger that lay in sexual temptation for women in this period. But, I love the relationship between the sisters, and I love that Lizzie goes down to face the goblin men, and temptation, to save her sister. It is, of course, a narrative of self denial and self sacrifice. But it is also a story about the strength of the relationship between two women, not one of competition, or destruction, but one of love and solidarity in a hard world.
Perhaps the truly shocking part of this poem is that Lizzie is able to save Laura. Often these narratives end with the "wicked" woman going insane or dying, despite effort made to 'save' her.
For anyone interesting, Laini Taylor has a book called "Lips Touch Three Times," and the first of the three novellas is a re-telling of Rossetti's poem.
Perhaps the truly shocking part of this poem is that Lizzie is able to save Laura. Often these narratives end with the "wicked" woman going insane or dying, despite effort made to 'save' her.
For anyone interesting, Laini Taylor has a book called "Lips Touch Three Times," and the first of the three novellas is a re-telling of Rossetti's poem.
Okay, so I never read poetry because I really don't understand it half the time, and it rarely makes sense to me! I have been hearing a lot about this poem and wanted to scope it out. Thank goodness it read like a story! It was enchanting and dark and I loved it!!! Review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/review-goblin-market/
Liked some of the poems in here, but didn't really love it..
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
The 'Goblin Market' was written by Christina Rossetti in 1862 and tells of two sisters who, on there way home, encounter a group of goblin merchants with the most tempting edibles. One sister is lured and makes excuses to linger, while the other refuses to look and hurries home, and thus the stage is set for a tale of temptation, addiction, and desperate rescue.
Linguistically, 'Goblin Market' is a thing of rich beauty, where even a description listing the goblins fruit wares (and it was a relatively extensive list) is captivating and just sounds evocative. But, thematically I am not sure how I felt, maybe I mostly felt a bit surreal from a twentieth century standpoint. The poem veers from utter sensuality, not necessarily of the comfortable or desirable kind, to a homage to sisterly bonds and to the domesticity of home and motherhood. On the surface it is a moral fairytale and underneath it is a darker playground of words and metre.
N.B. The print version I read is not this one - unfortunately goodreads does not have it on their list. It was the text produced by Mākaro Press based on Sea Star Creations contemporary film retelling of the 'Goblin Market'. All the text is the same as Rossetti's original work but the images come from the film and they highlight the poem strikingly.
https://makaropress.co.nz/makaro-books-2/goblin-market-by-christina-rossetti-2016-short-film-edition/
The poem itself can be found on the link below - though without any images that you would get in a book.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44996/goblin-market
Linguistically, 'Goblin Market' is a thing of rich beauty, where even a description listing the goblins fruit wares (and it was a relatively extensive list) is captivating and just sounds evocative. But, thematically I am not sure how I felt, maybe I mostly felt a bit surreal from a twentieth century standpoint. The poem veers from utter sensuality, not necessarily of the comfortable or desirable kind, to a homage to sisterly bonds and to the domesticity of home and motherhood. On the surface it is a moral fairytale and underneath it is a darker playground of words and metre.
N.B. The print version I read is not this one - unfortunately goodreads does not have it on their list. It was the text produced by Mākaro Press based on Sea Star Creations contemporary film retelling of the 'Goblin Market'. All the text is the same as Rossetti's original work but the images come from the film and they highlight the poem strikingly.
https://makaropress.co.nz/makaro-books-2/goblin-market-by-christina-rossetti-2016-short-film-edition/
The poem itself can be found on the link below - though without any images that you would get in a book.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44996/goblin-market
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated