The Faerie Queene

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Summary: A beautiful, sensitive Midevil epic poem.
Review: The Faerie Queene is a classic of the English language and a must read for anyone who has ever felt a touch of solitude. Lurking beneath a seemingly Manichean story of knights, maidens and monsters is a narrative of immense sensitivity. Spenser was a brooding, fragile poet full of pain and sorrow before it became a cliche. The Middle English verse is a kick to read.

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Summary: Difficult, but interesting
Review: THE FAERIE QUEENE is an epic poem from the late 16th/early 17th century, describing the symbolic journeys of many knights and ladies throughout a sort of Celtic fairyland. The poem was written as an allegory intended to teach Christian morality. On the surface, it can be difficult to read due to the large number of archaic words and spellings used, although there are helpful notes in the back of the book. But the poem does reward those who stick with it, in the way of many beautifully described scenes, fantastic landscapes and characters, and a sharp sense of purpose in its moral themes. Twelve books were planned for the poem, each focusing on a different virtue, but only six (and a fragment of a seventh) were written. I've only read a little more than three of them so far, but I look forward to reading the rest.

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Summary: A True Classic of Renaissance Literature
Review: The Faerie Queene is one of the great classics of Renaissance literature, and for very good reasons. Although it is difficult reading (and NO, contrary to another review here, it is NOT in OLD English! Look at the original version of Beowulf and you will see the difference), many of the tensions of the Renaissance, spiritually and philosophically, are masterfully renedered in these brilliant tales. Because its allegory is so rich, this book becomes even more enjoyable to reread, as connections between historical figures and literary history appear repeatedly. (I find something "new" each time I read it, it seems!) It is also a book about the role of the poet in society, and the manner in which Spenser uses allegory illustrates the complex relationship between the poet and his patron. In sum, while, as readers, we are always limited by our modern perspectives, I do think that reading Spenser is perhaps the best way to experience what it must have been like to be a Renaissance reader. Perhaps this is due to the didactic nature of Spenser's epic. In any event, it has forced me to explore more thoroughly the books and concepts to which Spenser refers repeatedly in The Faerie Queene. Furthermore, it has made my study of Shakespeare, Ariosto, Sidney, and other prominent Renaissance writers much more fruitful.

But don't buy the trade paperback edition if you are serious about reading Spenser--buy the edition of The Faerie Queene that is edited by A.C. Hamilton. While it is more expensive, it is by far the best text available of Spenser's epic, and contains useful notes and introductions that will guide all students of Spenser to a greater understanding of the greatest epic poem of the Elizabethan Age.

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Summary: Classic English Epic Poetry with Meaning
Review: The Faerie Queene of Spencer is perhaps the best known piece of English poetry before Shakespeare or Milton. Written in a language old even for its own time, Spencer had composed a national epic. The Faerie Queene was later eclipsed by 'Hamlet' and 'Paradise Lost' but is still an epic that has a lot to offer readers who are willing to come on its own terms.

Spenser incorporated allegory into his poem, and understanding this is vital to reading the work. There are two kinds of allegory here: Political allegory, which I found easier to disregard; and Moral allegory, which appears to be the main focus of all the Faerie Queene. One of the nice things about allegory is that one can pierce various aspects of the narrartive for insight and illumination. Even the smallest detail can help the reader derive meaning. But there is a danger, of course, the reader can find a meaning where none was intended; or worse, interpret the passage exactly opposite of the writer's wishes. One should know the Christian and Puritan mindsets to understand this book, it will be very difficult to make heads or tales of Faerie Queene without it; Book III in particular.

There also the story itself, which incorporates two classic English plot devices: the Arthurian tales, and the Fairy Land setting. Both mesh together extremely well, I think one could read this exclusivly to partake in the childhood dreams of dragon slaying and damzel rescuing.

'The Faerie Queene' is the most difficult book I have ever read, due to the language. If one presses on with reading it, though, I think they will find that the Spencerian prose becomes almost like a second language to them; the Penguin edition includes a very helpful glossary in the back. I recomend this work to those who like medieval classics, though if you do you've probably already heard of it. If you haven't read anything from the period and would like to tackle this, I recomend reading 'The Canterbury Tales' first to familiarize yourself with the period and thought processes.

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Summary: Deliciously problematic, rich, and well-crafted.
Review: The Faerie Queene, I suggest, is the pinnacle of literature in the English language before Shakespeare. Originally envisioned as a twelve book epic, written in language that was deliberately antiquated even for the period, I find it surprisingly modern in several ways. First, the characters are abstract exercises, deliberate embodiments of ideals and concepts. The term 'allegory' is now almost uniquely used to describe this Spenserian technique, and its adoption by later authors. Allegory is metaphor to the Nth degree. Spenser also invented his own, idiosyncratic stanza form and rhyme scheme, a nine line block which he uses throughout (and which is likewise known as the Spenserian stanza). Given these characteristics, The Faerie Queene may be most enjoyed by those who can appreciate its abstract craftsmanship. Nonetheless, there is something in it for every serious reader, as the subjects and plots are deeply archetypal--the saga of Book I's Redcrosse Knight is practically a case-study for one of the thousand faces of Joseph Campbell's hero. The language is rich, and its implications complex--for instance it is unclear what we are to conclude when Guyon, the supposed knight of temperance and moderation razes the Bowre of Blis after nearly succumbing to its charms. Above all, it can be deeply entertaining, moreso I feel than most of Shakespeare's histories, Falkner's Sound and the Fury, or just about anything written in the 18th century.

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Summary: Spenser's Enchanted Universe.
Review: THE FAERIE QUEENE. By Edmund Spenser. Edited by Thomas P. Roche, Jr with the assistance of C. Patrick O'Donnell, Jr. 1247 pp. Penguin English Poets, 1978 and Reprinted.

Although everyone has heard of Edmund Spenser's amazing narrative poem, 'The Faerie Queene,' it's a pity that few seem to read it. To a superficial glance it may appear difficult, although the truth is that it's basically a fascinating story that even an intelligent child can follow with enjoyment and interest.

It appears difficult only because of Spenser's deliberately antique English. He needed such an English because he was creating a whole new dimension of enchantment, a magical world, a land of mystery and adventure teeming with ogres and giants and witches, hardy knights both brave and villainous, dwarfs, magicians, dragons, and maidens in distress, wicked enchanters, gods, demons, forests, caves, and castles, amorous encounters, fierce battles, etc., etc.

To evoke an atmosphere appropriate to such a magical world, a world seemingly distant in both time and place from ours, Spenser created his own special brand of English. Basically his language is standard Sixteenth Century English, but with antique spellings and a few medievalisms thrown in, along with a number of new words that Spenser coined himself. The opening lines of the poem are typical :

"A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plain, / Y cladd in mightie armes and siluer shielde, / Wherein old dints of deepe wounds did remain, / The cruell markes of many a bloudy fielde...." (page 41).

If, instead of reading with the eye, we read with the ear or aloud, the strange spellings resolve themselves into perfectly familiar words such as clad (clothed), mighty, arms, silver, shield, deep, cruel, marks, bloody, field. And "Y cladd" is just one of those Spenserian medievalisms that simply means "clad" or clothed (i.e., wearing).

The only two words in this passage that might cause problems for the beginner are "pricking" and "dints," and it doesn't take much imagination to realize that these must refer, respectively, to 'riding' (i.e., his horse) and 'dents.' But if you can't guess them, an explanation is provided in the useful list of Common Words at the back of the book.

Once you've used that 2-page list for a little while, progress through Spenser's text becomes a snap. And learning a few hundred words is a small price to pay for entrance into one of the most luxuriant works ever produced by the Western imagination, and one that once entered you will often want to return to.

The Penguin edition, although it contains the complete text of 'The Faerie Queene,' is significantly without an Introduction, presumably because the editors felt that we don't really need one. The book does, however, contain stanza-by-stanza Notes. These have been placed at the end where they can be referred to at need, and where they don't interfere with the flow of the story as we experience it.

There have been many editions of 'The Faerie Queene.' Students who are studying the poem formally will want to have the fully annotated edition by A. C. Hamilton, a bulky edition with extensive and detailed notes, but in which the actual text of the poem is not so easy to read, being a rather poor and considerably reduced copy of the 3-volume Clarendon Press edition.

The Penguin has always seemed to me to be the best available edition for the general reader. As is usual with Penguins, it has a clear and well-printed text, and the Notes are just about right, being neither skimpy nor excessive. Though fat, it's not too big to carry around, and you may just find yourself taking it along with you on your next trip.

Spenser is one of England's very greatest writers. And he was writing, not for critics, but for you and me. Admittedly his language can be a bit tricky at first, and he certainly isn't to be rushed through like a modern novel. His is rather the sort of book that we wish would never end.

His pace is leisurely and relaxed, a gentle flowing rhythmic motion, and that's how he wants us to read him. To get the hang of things, try listening to one of the many available recordings. And if you hit a strange-looking word, don't fret or panic. Try to hear the word in your mind, and guess at its meaning. That will often help, but if it doesn't, Roche's list or his brief and excellent notes should.

So take Spenser slowly, and give his words a chance to work their magic. Let him gently conduct you through his enthralling universe, one that you will find both wholly strange and perfectly familar, since human beings and their multifarious doings are Spenser's real subject, and somewhere in one of his enchanted forests you may one day find yourself.

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Summary: This is a stunning masterpiece
Review: This book is phenomenal. The immagery and the allusions are fantastic. The message it contains is superb as well. Furthermore, the plot is stunning. As C.S. Lewis said, "To read Spencer is to grow in mental health." Anyone who enjoys Tolkien will love Spencer. One final thing. For all non-philologists, it is written is Shakesperean English, and is indeed old. It has funny spellings, and even uses letters different than we do. However, Old English, has a specific linguistic meaning, and was the language that King Alfred the Great in the 900's AD spoke. To a modern Anglophone, Old English can be understood about as easily as German, or Danish.

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Summary: Wonderful reading
Review: This book, yes, is written in Old English, but I enjoy reading it that way. The language is so beautiful, and the way Edmund Spencer writes, the words flow. Definitely a very good book.

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Summary: I Loved This Edition!!!!
Review: This is a must-have for all Ed Spenser enthusiasts--- like me!(Im so crazy about Ed Spenser's tome that all my friends call me Rob The Faerie Queene!). But seriously, the editorial expertise of Norton makes this book indispensible for anyone interested in the English Language. Easy to use, and written in plain-english explanations, this book sheds light on Spenser's time. If all other versions have left you flat and wanting more, this is it! The ultimate in Edmund Spenser's The faerie Queene.

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Summary: Sword and Sorcery!
Review: This is the first epic poem written in English. It is a work of English imagination coloured with some classicism. To me, it matches closely with Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings in theme and in tone. Of course, it is written in 16th Century English, so you will have to be smart enough to handle the differences in spelling and grammar you will encounter. I love it because it blends the whole Medieval and Dark Age English narrative heritage with the 'new learning' of the classicizing Renaissance and thereby brings together all the fundamental cultural streams flowing into the sea of the modern English-world's character. This is a poem of identity for the English-speaking world. I would also add that the sound of the poem is highly musical. Edmund Spencer, in my opinion, is the greatest English poet.
This is REAL sword and sorcery - at its best!