These paired Arthurian legends suggest that erotic desire and the desire for companionship undergird national politics. The maiden Britomart, Queen Elizabeth's fictional ancestor, dons armor to search for a man whom she has seen in a crystal ball. While on this quest, she seeks to understand how one can be chaste while pursuing a sexual goal, in love with a man while passionately attached to a woman, a warrior princess yet a wife. As Spenser's most sensitively developed character, Britomart is capable of heroic deeds but also of teenage self-pity. Her experience is anatomized in the stories of other characters, where versions of love and friendship include physical gratification, torture, mutual aid, competition, spiritual ecstasy, self-sacrifice, genial teasing, jealousy, abduction, wise government, sedition, and the valiant defense of a pig shed.
These paired Arthurian legends suggest that erotic desire and the desire for companionship undergird national politics. The maiden Britomart, Queen Elizabeth's fictional ancestor, dons armor to search for a man whom she has seen in a crystal ball. While on this quest, she seeks to understand how one can be chaste while pursuing a sexual goal, in love with a man while passionately attached to a woman, a warrior princess yet a wife. As Spenser's most sensitively developed character, Britomart is capable of heroic deeds but also of teenage self-pity. Her experience is anatomized in the stories of other characters, where versions of love and friendship include physical gratification, torture, mutual aid, competition, spiritual ecstasy, self-sacrifice, genial teasing, jealousy, abduction, wise government, sedition, and the valiant defense of a pig shed.
The Faerie Queene, Book Three; The Faerie Queene, Book Four; The Letter to Raleigh; The Life of Edmund Spenser; Textual Notes; Glossary; Index of Characters; Works Cited.
Abraham Stoll is Assistant Professor of English, University of San Diego.
Teachers of Spenser will also welcome two more installments of the
Hackett editions of separate books of The Faerie Queene under the
general editorship of Abraham Stoll, this time on books 2 and on
books 3 and 4. In my view, these are the most attractive,
inexpensive, but also comprehensive editions to date, with far
better (and easy to read) notes on mythology and name symbolism
(matters increasingly foreign to our undergraduates) than almost
all previous versions. --Catherine Gimelli Martin, Studies in
English Literature 1500-1900
In his introduction, Erik Gray offers a tidy preface to book 2 of
The Faerie Queene, providing a brief but provocative discussion of
some of Spenser's sources and poetic models. In his introductory
subsections, Gray's analysis begins with more basic material and
becomes progressively complex in sequential paragraphs, offering
compelling points of departure for further study by readers at all
levels. In addition, Gray offers a list of some later writers
influenced by Spenser's writing, situating Spenser in the broader
literary canon and defining some preliminary connections for
students for many literary fields. To encourage the reader's
further inquiry, Gray highlights a particularly troubling passage
from book 2, offering various critical perspectives on the
portrayal of Temperance therein, and grounding further
interpretation. --Rachel E. Frier, Sixteenth Century Journal
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