Myth and History
During The Faerie Queene’s inception, Spenser worked as a civil servant, in “relative seclusion from the political and literary events of his day” (Craig 520). As Spenser labored in solitude, the Faerie Queene manifested within his mind, blending his experiences into the content of his craft. Within his poem, Spenser explores human consciousness and conflict, relating to a variety of genres including 16th century Arthurian literature (Craig 522). The Faerie Queene was influenced strongly by Italian works, much like many other works in England were at that time. The Faerie Queene drew heavily on Ariosto and Tasso (Healy 95). The first three books of The Faerie Queene operate as a unit, representing the entire cycle from the fall of Troy to the reign of Elizabeth (Craig 522). Utilizing in medias res, Spenser introduces his historical narrative at three different intervals, using chronicle, civil conversation, and prophecy as its occasions (Craig 522). Despite historical accuracies within his text, Spenser is careful to label himself a poet historical as opposed to a historiographer. Spenser notes this differentiation in his letter to Raleigh, noting “a Historiographer discourseth of affayres orderly as they were donne…but a Poet thrusteth into the midst…and maketh a pleasing Analysis of all” (Craig 523). Spenser’s characters embody Elizabethan values, highlighting political and aesthetic associations of Tudor Arthurian tradition in order to bring his work to life. While studying The Faerie Queene, it is apparent Spenser respected British History and “contemporary culture confirmed his attitude” (Craig 523). At the same time, however, Spenser’s freedom literary freedom demonstrates that he was “working in the realm of mythopoeic imagination rather than that of historical fact” (Craig 523). In fact, Spenser’s Arthurian material serves as a subject of debate, intermediate between “legendary history and historical myth” offering him a range of “evocative tradition and freedom that historian’s responsibilities preclude” (Craig 524). Concurrently, Spenser adopts the role of a skeptic, reflected in the method he handles the British History, which “extends to the verge of self-satire” (Craig 555).
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