Rating: 
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.
Rating: 
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!
Rating:
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!
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