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Welcome to the early modern period

Welcome to the early modern period. Literary Division Anglo-Saxon or Old English Literature Middle English Literature The Early Modern Period, aka The Renaissance The Elizabethan Age: reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) Jacobean Age: Reign of James I (1603-25)

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Welcome to the early modern period

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  1. Welcome to the early modern period • Literary Division • Anglo-Saxon or Old English Literature • Middle English Literature • The Early Modern Period, aka The Renaissance • The Elizabethan Age: reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) • Jacobean Age: Reign of James I (1603-25) • Caroline Age: Charles I (1625-49) • Commonwealth period (1649-1660)

  2. Early Modern Period • Humanism • Reformation

  3. Spenser

  4. The Fairie Queene • Not a poem to “solve,” but rather to experience • Exploration of abstract ideas • Red Cross and Una are characters and concepts

  5. Fairie Queene • The genres of the FQ--overview • Epic • Romance • Allegory

  6. Genre--epic • Long narrative poem • Serious and formal style • Heroic, perhaps quasi-divine central figure • Tells the story of a nation, a tribe or even all of humanity

  7. Genre epic • Spenser’s epic elements • Begins in medias res • Use of epic simile • 1.2.16

  8. Genre--Romance • We’ve already seen some romance • Auerbach’s definition • Romance—The Letter to Raleigh • ”To Fashion a Gentleman” • P. 716 • Archaic language

  9. Fairie Queene • Proem • The Poetic “I” (stanza one) • Gloriana (stanza four)

  10. Genre: Allegory • A darke conceit • Allegory and levels of meaning

  11. Fairie Queene • Canto One—Den of Error • Red Cross Knight I.1.1 • Una I.1.4 • Wandering Wood I.1.7 and I.1.10 • The Den of Error I.1.11 line 96 ff • The Monster Error I.1.14 line 123

  12. Fairie Queene • Canto One—Den of Error • Red Cross Knight I.1.1 • Una I.1.4 • Wandering Wood I.1.7 and I.1.10 • The Den of Error I.1.11 line 96 ff • The Monster Error I.1.14 line 123

  13. Error • From the Latin, errare (to wander) • What is the nature of this error? • How does this monster represent this? • Epic simile, Nile: I.1.21

  14. Archimago Episode • Archimago introduced I.1. 29 • Hypocrisy • Connections to Catholicism I. 1. 35 • The creation of the false Una I.1.45 • Una and RCK separated • RCK’s anger: 1.1.4 and 5

  15. Una and RCK separated • Allegory of the English Church • Allegory of Truth and Holiness

  16. Duessa (I.2.13 ff) • What she signifies—some critical views • Falsity • Church of Rome • Mary Queen of Scots • Whore of Babylon • Sans Foy—Saracen I.2.12

  17. Duessa Episode • Combat with Sans Foy (I.2.16) • Fradubbio (I.2.31) • Duessa Revealed (I.2.41)

  18. Book II • Guyon—Knight of Temperance • Temperance as Moderation • OED: “practice or habit of restraining oneself in provocation, passion, desire etc. Rational self-restraint • Accompanied by Palmer--Reason

  19. The Bower of Bliss • Location in an artificial Garden (st. 42) • Enclosed, but how: st. 43 • Genius and the Self (st. 47) • Sexual Temptation • Acrasia in the Bower

  20. Guyon • Reactions • St. 55 • St. 66 • Guidance from the Palmer (69)

  21. Acrasia • Her name means “intemperance”’ • Allegory: temperance conquers intemperance • Witch with her lover (st. 72) • Temptress who turns men into beasts (Circe) • Sensual temptation (st. 77) • Loss of masculine strength (st. 80)

  22. Possible contexts • New World • Ireland • The Elizabethan court itself

  23. Bower destroyed • Guyon’s destruction of the Bower 83

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