Spenser S Faerie Queene And The Cult Of Elizabeth

First published in 1983, Spenser’s Faerie Queene and the Cult of Elizabeth presents The Faerie Queene as a central document in the cult of Elizabeth. It shows how Spenser combines the resources of medieval iconography and Renaissance rhetoric in celebrating the Queen as the predestined ruler of an elect nation. In its introductory discussion of Renaissance poetics, the book emphasises the contemporary belief in the moral function of praise. Particular attention is given to the popular identification of Elizabeth with the Virgin Mary. If Elizabeth’s gender created problems for a poet writing in the heroic mode, at the same time it made available to him a form of praise that no secular poet had been able to use before. While the book contains material of interest to the Renaissance specialist, its lucid style and the valuable background material it provides will appeal to undergraduates reading Spenser for the first time.

The Faerie Queene from Hackett Publishing Company: Spenser's great work in five volumes. Each includes its own Introduction, annotation, notes on the text, bibliography, glossary, and index of characters; Spenser's Letter to Raleigh and a short Life of Edmund Spenser appear in every volume.

The Faerie Queene was the first epic in English and one of the most influential poems in the language for later poets from Milton to Tennyson. Dedicating his work to Elizabeth I, Spenser brilliantly united medieval romance and renaissance epic to expound the glory of the Virgin Queen. The poem recounts the quests of knights including Sir Guyon, Knight of Constance, who resists temptation, and Artegall, Knight of Justice, whose story alludes to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. Composed as an overt moral and political allegory, The Faerie Queene, with its dramatic episodes of chivalry, pageantry and courtly love, is also a supreme work of atmosphere, colour and sensuous description.

This title establishes the radical currents of thought shaping Renaissance poetry: civic humanism and apocalyptic Protestantism. The author shows how Elizabethan poets like Sidney and Spenser, often seen as conservative monarchists, responded powerfully if sometimes ambivalently to radical ideas.

This book reveals the queen behind Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. Placing Spenser’s epic poem in the context of the tumultuous sixteenth century, Donald Stump offers a groundbreaking reading of the poem as an allegory of Elizabeth I’s life. By narrating the loves and wars of an Arthurian realm that mirrors Elizabethan England, Spenser explores the crises that shaped Elizabeth’s reign: her break with the pope to create a reformed English Church, her standoff with Mary, Queen of Scots, offensives against Irish rebels and Spanish troops, confrontations with assassins and foreign invaders, and the apocalyptic expectations of the English people in a time of national transformation. Brilliantly reconciling moral and historicist readings, this volume offers a major new interpretation of The Faerie Queene.

"The First Book of the Faerie Queene" by Edmund Spenser is an epic poem that stands as a cornerstone in English Renaissance literature. This allegorical masterpiece follows the adventures of the Redcrosse Knight and his quest to free Una from the clutches of the dragon. Spenser employs rich, archaic language and intricate verse forms, creating a poetic tapestry that intertwines themes of chivalry, virtue, and the complex interplay between the allegorical and the historical. As the knight encounters various challenges and adversaries, each episode serves as an allegory for moral and spiritual trials. The poem also acts as a celebration of Queen Elizabeth I, drawing parallels between her reign and the legendary Gloriana, the Faerie Queene. In this first book, Spenser lays the foundation for the overarching narrative, presenting a vivid and enchanting world filled with knights, damsels, and mythical creatures. The Faerie Queene serves as a poetic exploration of the virtues and vices that shape human existence, making it a timeless work that continues to captivate readers with its intricate allegory and poetic brilliance. Immerse yourself in the enchanting realm of Spenser's Faerie Queene, where each stanza unfolds a tale of valor and virtue in the quest for the idealized chivalric life.

The first book in this Elizabethan epic poem follows the adventures of the chivalrous Redcrosse Knight and his virtuous love Lady Una. Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene ushered in a new sensibility in English literature as the reunited country entered the seventeenth century. In his distinctive verse form—which came to be known as the Spenserian stanza—Spenser inspired his countrymen with tales of noble adventure, romance, and chivalry. This first volume of The Faerie Queene explores the virtue of holiness as exemplified by its hero. In a series of allegorical fantasy tales, the Redcrosse Knight travels with his Lady Una as he fights the monster Errour, is tricked by a wizard into believing Una unchaste, and taken captive by a giant before Una rescues him from Despair. Once recovered, the Redcrosse Knight returns to battle to defend Una and her family from a dragon.