Goblin Market: An Immersive Literary Day

Goblin Market: An Immersive Literary Day

Christina Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelites

Step into the strange, sensuous world of Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market for a day that blends literary exploration, place, and creative imagination.

Morning: Among the Poets and Pre-Raphaelites – Highgate Cemetery

We begin with a guided walk through Highgate Cemetery, a place steeped in Victorian imagination. Visiting the graves of Christina Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal, we’ll explore the cultural, artistic, and emotional worlds that shaped their writing and lives. Along the way, we’ll pause for readings from Rossetti’s poetry, reflective prompts, and gentle discussion, allowing the landscape itself to deepen our encounter with her work.

Afternoon: Entering Goblin Market

In the afternoon, we turn our attention fully to Goblin Market, approaching it through image, atmosphere, and storytelling. Through shared reading and guided conversation, we’ll explore the poem’s rich tensions — sweetness and danger, desire and restraint — and how illustrators have historically transformed its darker elements into moments of “mild peril.”

Drawing the Goblins: Ink, Imagination, and Play

The day culminates in a relaxed, hands-on illustration session using dip pen and ink led by Robyn. Inspired by Rossetti’s language and Victorian visual traditions, you’ll experiment with line, texture, and form to create your own goblins — playful, unsettling, comic, or strange. No prior drawing experience is needed; the emphasis is on exploration, interpretation, and enjoying the tactile pleasure of making. Snacks, drinks and plenty of chat are all included.

Email us at storysanctuaryinfo@gmail.com to discuss how we can shape the perfect event for you and your group.