Alternative worlds in Spenser's The faerie queene

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Although The Faerie Queene was written in 1589 as a commentary on and criticism of issueswhich would concern many sixteenth-century Protestant subjects of Queen Elizabeth ofEngland, Spenser creates in his text worlds which even a twentieth-century reader can findsignificant. Allegorical representations, mythical, historical and poetical figures and pastoralretreats, for example, not only reflect the harsh realities which sixteenth-century Englishsociety experienced, but also offer the possibility of escape to worlds of divine and charitableinteraction. Spenser, drawing on Philip Sidney's An Apology for Poetry, constructs an idealworld where there is no strife, only peaceful interaction and stability, as opposed to theproblems and fears of the real world of sixteenth-century England. The story of Faery Landis, therefore, about a magical world of wish fulfilment, but at the same time it also draws onthe concrete reality of sixteenth-century England, which has relevance for a twentieth-centuryworld still concerned with many of the same issues of crime, justice, religion, government,relationships and history. Discussion in this thesis focuses on the different real and idealworlds and the devices used to represent these worlds in the narrative of The Faerie Queene.Chapter 1 deals with allegorical representation and distinguishes between two levels ofrepresentation: a literal or primary level of signification which reflects the everydayexperiences of the sixteenth-century reader, and the allegorical level whereby theseexperiences and desires are personified. The allegory, in tum, communicates and revealsdifferent doctrines or themes: this chapter shows how Redcrosse represents the struggle of thereligious man who finally earns salvation by perseverance and dependence on the grace ofGod. In this allegorical world, Spenser shows the religious conflicts, doubts and victories ofthe sixteenth-century Protestant man.Chapter 2 explores a series of allegorical parallels in plot, theme and structure in Book 2 ofThe Faerie Queene which create the real and ideal worlds through which Guyon now runshis race. Here, the discussion focuses on the clues provided by the allegory which lead thereader to a redefinition of the categories of good and evil. The primary purpose of the allegoryis, therefore, didactic and the sixteenth-century reader is taught how to interpret the signs andsymbols of Spenser's allegorical, historical and mythical worlds. This chapter concludes withan examination of Spenser's mythical devices and an exploration of the historical significanceof his fictional characters and plots - all of which help the reader to grasp the significance ofSpenser's world of knights and fairies.Chapter 3 focuses on a discussion of Books 3 and 4, in which issues of love and friendshipcome to shape Spenser's ideal world. The analyses consider how sixteenth-centuryperceptions of marriage, love and power may have influenced his conceptionalization of suchan ideal world. The chapter concludes with an exploration of sixteenth-century concerns withtime and discord, and demonstrates how Spenser fmally resolves these issues in his vision ofthe Garden of Adonis.Chapter 4 deals with Book 5, where Artegall represents the just knight. Here the thesisexamines Spenser's political aspirations, and shows how historical events are reflected in theactions of characters and how they may influence Spenser's vision of the ideal society with itsjust ruler. This discussion also focuses, among other things, on those factors which may havecontributed to Spenser's disillusionment with sixteenth-century society. Chapter 5 concludes with Spenser's pastoral ideal of Book 6, which brings the promise ofpeace and prosperity, as opposed to a life of waste and thwarted ambition at Court. On MountAcidale, Spenser's alternative worlds coincide, as Calidore, representing the fallen and realworld of Faery Land, is allowed a glimpse of the poetic and divine worlds which the poet,Colin Clout, already shares with three Graces and his mistress. Chapter 5 examines the poet'sautobiographical persona in the figure of Colin Clout and the relevance of his appearance onMount Acidale in particular, and in the poem in general. It is the intention of this thesis tofollow the route which Spenser has marked out, to read and interpret the signs and to finallyshare in this world of dream and thought, experience and vision.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University