POETRY-1 (ENG403) LECTURE – 14

Edmund Spenser Greatest poet of The English Renaissance Humanist Patriotic Skillful Lover of Physical Beauty

SPENSER’S INDIVIDUALITY Spensarian Stanza Archaic Language Original Spelling Punctuation Rhymes Etymologies Musical effects

The Faerie Queene Purpose of Writing The Faerie Queene How a Virtuous Man should Live Originally 12 books were planned Six books (1599) It is an allegory

THE FAERIE QUEENE AS AN ALLEGORY The Red Cross Knight: Holliness Lady Una: Truth, True Religion Portrayal of Roman Catholic Church as a Villain STORY – Adventure

INVOCATION Introduction Consists of 4 Stanzas After the Classical Tradition Clio, the Goddess of History Cupid, God of Love Venus, the Goddess of Beauty Mars, the god of War The Queen

EPIC An epic is long narrative poem about a hero containing the following elements: o “in media res” o an invocation to the muse o Battles o Romance o Supernatural inelements o Journeys o Lists o Descent to the Underworld o Epic Similes

LONG NARRATIVE POEM Long Narration Story Contains Books & Parts

ABOUT A GREAT SOLDIER/HERO a great leader who possesses great character qualities: “larger-than-life” loyalty, valor/ courage, sense of justice, dignity, persistence, and many other traits of his culture and time. Prince Arthur

“IN MEDIA RES” literally means “in the middle of things” The epic begins in media res and then flashes back to events that took place before the narrator’s current time setting The Faerie Queene begins in the middle. Later the reader comes to know what had happened and where they were going

INVOCATION TO THE MUSE Seek help from god or goddesses Spenser invokes the Muse

BATTLE/ DEEDS OF VALOUR does great deeds in battle or undertakes an extraordinary journey or quest. The knight undertakes the journey and has to fight against the monster, the magician. Journey of spirit

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS gods or other supernatural or fantastic beings take part in the action of the story. Inclusion of spirits

JOURNEYS The setting is broad and often includes supernatural realms, especially the land of the dead. Journey Underworld journey

EPIC SIMILES elaborately extended comparisons relating heroic events to simple, everyday events using like, as, so, and just as The Simile of the river Nile.

LITERARY DEVICE Epithet: a descriptive phrase that presents a particular trait of a person or thing. It can be a quick aid to characterization. Transferred Epithet: when the characteristic feature of one thing is attributed to the other. Weary night

EPIC & ROMANCE Difference between Epic and Romance The Epic Action Epic Similes Supernatural Machinery The Hero A Hybrid Epic A Romantic Epic

ELEMENTS OF THE RENAISSANCE Spirit of Adventure Love for Beauty Love for Richness & Magnificence Revival of Old Classical Literature o Aristotle, Plato, Virgil, Ariosto & Tasso Classical mythology Seriousness, moral earnestness Tradition to Write in Epic form

ELEMENTS OF THE REFORMATION Religious Movement Revolt Against the Authority of Church Protestants rose against Roman Catholic Church Platonic, Epicurean but Protestant

THE FAERIE QUEENE AS AN ALLEGORY The Red Cross Knight: Holliness Lady Una: Truth, True Religion Portrayal of Roman Catholic Church as a Villain

MORAL ALLEGORY Spirit of Renaissance Focuses on the moral values

RELIGIOUS ALLEGORY The knight: Holiness Lady Una: True Religion Monster: Roman Catholic Church

POLITICAL/PERSONAL ALLEGORY Queen Elizabeth Prince Arthur Earl of Leciester

PICTURESQUE QUALITY OF HIS POETRY Description of Landscape Description of Characters Description of supernatural Elements Description of the House of the God of Sleep

REVIEW OF LECTURE 14 Edmund Spenser The Faerie Queene Invocation Epic & its Elements Epic & Romance Elements of Renaissance Elements of Reformation

REVIEW OF LECTURE 14 The Faerie Queene as an Allegory o Moral Allegory o Religious Allegory o Political/Personal Allegory Picturesque quality of his poetry