Spenserian Allegory and Elizabethan Biblical Exegesis: A Context for the Faerie Queene

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Spenserian Allegory and Elizabethan Biblical Exegesis: A Context for the Faerie Queene
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Margaret Christian
SeriesThe Manchester Spenser
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:272
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 138
Category/GenreLiterary studies - c 1500 to c 1800
Literary studies - poetry and poets
ISBN/Barcode 9781526139504
ClassificationsDewey:821.3
Audience
General
Illustrations 1 black & white illustration

Publishing Details

Publisher Manchester University Press
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publication Date 3 July 2019
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Edmund Spenser famously conceded to his friend Walter Raleigh that his method in The Faerie Queene 'will seeme displeasaunt' to those who would 'rather have good discipline delivered plainly in way of precepts, or sermoned at large'. This is the first book-length study to clarify Spenser's comparison by introducing readers to the biblical typologies of contemporary sermons and liturgies. The result demonstrates that 'precepts ... sermoned at large' from lecterns and pulpits were themselves often 'clowdily enwrapped in allegoricall devises'. In effect, routine churchgoing prepared Spenser's first readers to enjoy and interpret The Faerie Queene. A wealth of relevant quotations invites readers to adopt an Elizabethan mindset and encounter the poem afresh. The 'chronicle history' cantos, Florimell's adventures andMercilla's judgment on Duessa all come into sharper focus when juxtaposed with contemporary religious rhetoric. -- .

Author Biography

Margaret Christian is Associate Professor of English at the Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh Valley Campus -- .