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This book reveals the queen behind Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. Placing Spenser's epic poem in the context of the tumultuous sixteenth century, Donald Stump offers a groundbreaking reading of the poem as an allegory of Elizabeth I's life. By narrating the loves and wars of an Arthurian realm that mirrors Elizabethan England, Spenser explores the crises that shaped Elizabeth's reign: her break with the pope to create a reformed English Church, her standoff with Mary, Queen of Scots, offensives against Irish rebels and Spanish troops, confrontations with assassins and foreign invaders, and the apocalyptic expectations of the English people in a time of national transformation. Brilliantly reconciling moral and historicist readings, this volume offers a major new interpretation of The Faerie Queene.
List of contents
I. Spenser's Method and Artistry.- 1. Introduction to Spenser's Art of Royal Encomium.- 2. Spenser, Elizabeth, and the Problem of Flattery.- 3. Gloriana, Biblical Typology, and Moral Transfiguration.- II. Spenser's Elizabeth.- 4. Una and the English Reformation.- 5. The Maturation of the Queen.- 6. The Queen in Her Glory.- III. The Faerie Queene in Context.- 7. Una, Mercilla, and the Elizabethan Apocalypse.- 8. Sidney, Spenser, and the Queen.
About the author
Donald Stump is Professor of English at Saint Louis University, USA. His publications include Elizabeth I and Her Age and Elizabeth I and the ‘Sovereign Arts,’ along with numerous articles on Renaissance literature and the Spenser and Sidney World Bibliographies. With Carole Levin, he founded the Queen Elizabeth I Society.
Summary
This book reveals the queen behind Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. Placing Spenser’s epic poem in the context of the tumultuous sixteenth century, Donald Stump offers a groundbreaking reading of the poem as an allegory of Elizabeth I’s life. By narrating the loves and wars of an Arthurian realm that mirrors Elizabethan England, Spenser explores the crises that shaped Elizabeth’s reign: her break with the pope to create a reformed English Church, her standoff with Mary, Queen of Scots, offensives against Irish rebels and Spanish troops, confrontations with assassins and foreign invaders, and the apocalyptic expectations of the English people in a time of national transformation. Brilliantly reconciling moral and historicist readings, this volume offers a major new interpretation of The Faerie Queene.
Additional text
“Spenser's Heavenly Elizabeth will be of interest to all those who see Spenser's epic poem as preoccupied primarily with royalty and providential history. … His delicate handling of the poetry achieves a fine balance between textuality and topicality. … Through his editorial and bibliographical energies he has been an enabler of decisive work on the image of Elizabeth. This magisterial monograph affords him the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his own unsurpassed expertise.” (Willy Maley, Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 74 (3), 2021)
“Spenser’s Heavenly Elizabeth is a tour de force and a gift to the Renaissance scholarly community. It provides a rich and detailed analysis of Spenser’s magnum opus while at the same time, providing a rich historical narrative of the English Reformation(s).” (Jesse Russell, Christianity & Literature, Vol. 70 (3), September, 2021)
Report
"Spenser's Heavenly Elizabeth will be of interest to all those who see Spenser's epic poem as preoccupied primarily with royalty and providential history. ... His delicate handling of the poetry achieves a fine balance between textuality and topicality. ... Through his editorial and bibliographical energies he has been an enabler of decisive work on the image of Elizabeth. This magisterial monograph affords him the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his own unsurpassed expertise." (Willy Maley, Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 74 (3), 2021)
"Spenser's Heavenly Elizabeth is a tour de force and a gift to the Renaissance scholarly community. It provides a rich and detailed analysis of Spenser's magnum opus while at the same time, providing a rich historical narrative of the English Reformation(s)." (Jesse Russell, Christianity & Literature, Vol. 70 (3), September, 2021)
