Medieval Literature Book Club
This month’s Medieval Literature Book Club pick: Book One of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
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 knights’ quests, 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, color, and sensuous description.
PLEASE NOTE: We will focus on Book 1 out of the 6 books within the Faerie Queene, although we may briefly highlight other books.