Let’s shake things up!

Up to this point, we have delved into classic horror and Gothic fiction with some creepy classic short stories. For our next three installments, we’re switching things up and taking a step into the world of rhyme and verse. First on our list is Christina Rossetti, a prominent English Victorian writer celebrated for her Romantic, religious, and children’s poetry. Among her best-known pieces are Remember and In the Bleak Midwinter. For this segment of Promptober, we’ll be reading her most famous and acclaimed narrative poem, Goblin Market.

Although our previous installments have explored more conventional forms of horror, this next selection takes us into the darker side of fairy tales. First published in 1862, Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market follows two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, whose encounter with a group of goblin merchants leads them to temptation and, later, sacrifice. Through its alluring imagery, strange creatures, and unsettling undertones, Rossetti creates a world that is as enchanting as it is disturbing. Beneath the poem’s fairy-tale surface are layers of symbolism and meaning that invite readers to look past the narrative, making the poem an intriguing addition to our Halloween reading list.

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As you read Goblin Market, think about Rossetti’s use of symbolism, what it could mean, and how it works together with vivid imagery to create a disturbing undertone.

How does Rossetti juxtapose the poem’s enchanting setting and fantastical creatures with darker symbolism to create a sense of unease?

How do the vivid descriptions of the goblins’ fruit and the sisters’ reactions toward them shape your understanding of the poem’s deeper symbolism, particularly the relationship between temptation and danger?

How does the progression from curiosity and enchantment toward suffering, sacrifice, and restoration shape the mood and meaning of the story, and did the ending change how you understood what came before it?

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Through Goblin Market, Rossetti demonstrates how much literary devices contribute to a story’s atmosphere. The goblins themselves aren’t necessarily frightening, but the way Rossetti pairs them with imagery, symbolism, and other elements makes their presence increasingly unsettling. Creatures that might seem whimsical in another context become sinister through the details surrounding them and how they’re portrayed. These layers of meaning, and their effect on the audience, are part of what have kept readers and critics discussing the poem for generations. This is a great reminder that writers don’t always need frightening characters or disturbing events to establish a particular tone. Sometimes, the descriptions and details surrounding an event determine how an audience experiences it.

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With this concept still fresh in your mind, let’s see where it takes you. For days 11 through 14 of Promptober, write a short story, poem, reflection, collection of thoughts, scene, or anything else the following words inspire:

October 11th – cry

October 12th – golden

October 13th – fruit

October 14th – kiss

Interpret them literally or let them take you somewhere unexpected. And if you decide to share what you write, I’d love to see it! Share your work on Facebook or Instagram and tag @paigeturnerblogs. You can also use #paigeturnerblogs and #themodernfolio so we can find your work and follow along with Promptober.

To the things left to see and left to uncover!

Paige Turner