The Faerie Queene
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1590-1596
- Era
- Renaissance
- Form
- Epic poetry
- Language
- English
- Length
- Epic · 1100 ppover 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Faerie QueenePenguin Classics, 1978Thomas P. Roche's edition, complete in one volume with glosses; the Hackett edition of Book I is the option for a single book.
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An unfinished allegorical epic in six books of nine-line stanzas, dedicated to Elizabeth I, who appears as Gloriana, the Faerie Queene. Each book follows a knight embodying a virtue: Redcrosse (Holiness) fights the dragon and frees Una's parents; Guyon (Temperance) destroys the Bower of Bliss; Britomart (Chastity) seeks her destined husband; Books IV to VI treat Friendship, Justice and Courtesy. Prince Arthur rescues the knights in turn. Two fragmentary cantos on Mutability close the poem.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Faerie Queene are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
