Dr. David Luther

Who was:

• Born 1552 or 1553 in London

• Father believed to be John Spenser a journeyman cloth maker.

• Spenser's believed to have originated from Lancashire where they were connected with prominent local families, one of those was believed to have been Robert Nowell.

• Confirmed to have had at least one sister, Sarah and a number of brothers.

• Attended Merchant Taylors’ school probably from it’s

opening in 1561. Studies at that time were concentrative on the works of Cato, Caesar, Horace, Lucan and Homer. His studies also included Latin language and composition. There might have also been training in Greek and Hebrew.

• In 1569 he left school and attended what is now known as Pembroke College, Cambridge.

• He could not afford either school and was supported at both

Taylors and Pembroke by a Robert Nowell a London citizen that had left money to be distributed to charities. He named Edmund Spensore, specifically in his direction of distribution.

(Judson)

Edmund Spenser Early Life continued. . .

• While at Cambridge Spenser started as a poet translating anti-Catholic propaganda.

• He begins interest in theories of poetry and experiments in quantitative versification in English.

• 1573 Spenser graduates BA from Pembroke, 11th in a list of 120 students

• 1576 Spenser receives MA he is 66th of 70 in his class. Because of his academic ranking his was not offered a fellowship. He formed a friendship with John Young and Gabriel Harvey, who introduced him to all the right people in court which would later benefit him greatly. He left and went to Kent where he worked for John Young as a secretary. It is here where the writings for his first publication were started.

• 1579 Spenser is back in London in the employ of the Earl of Leicester. While employed therehe came to know Sir Philip Sidney and Sir Edward Dyer. They were all courtiers thatwere seeking to promote new English poetry. Spenser's result was his first release The Shepheardes Calendar.

(Judson)

1579 – The Shepheardes Calendar

• This is the year the Shepheardes Calendar is entered into the Stationers’ Register and was published.

• This was Spenser’s first major work.

• He also deliberately used an archaic language, paying homage to Chaucer whose work he mostadmired and to maintain a rustic affect in the writing.

• The title was borrowed from a French Almanac. While it was deemed as mediocre, since no one new who Spenser was, the works were hailed with enthusiasm.

• It was not only a complete work in a new form, it’s execution was deemed masterful.

• Many in the know of writers of the time said there had been nothing so finished, so sustained, so masterful in grasp, so brilliant in metre and phrase, since Chaucer.

(Jokinen, 5)

The Shepheardes Calendar

• The Shepheardes Calendar was a poetic work that consisted of 12 books. Each was prefaced with a woodcut art that represented the story and the appropriate sign of the zodiac.

• The Shepherds in each story are believed to depict people from Spenser’s life including himself.

• It is believed that Hobinol character was his friend Gabriel Harvey; the character Roffy, John Young, the character Algrind, the Archbishop of Canterbury Frindal and Colin Colut was believed to be Spenser himself.

• These stories were actually poems that were broken down into stories about various characters or shepards through the seasons.

(Abrams, 109)

Chronology between writings . . . • 1580 Spenser was appointed secretary to Lord

Grey and moved to Ireland where he acquired Kilcolman Castle in County Cork. While in Ireland he continued to write The Faerie Queene and also completed Astrophel - his elegy for Sidney.

• 1581 Spenser was appointed clerk of the Chancery for Faculties in Dublin.

• 1582 he came to lease New Abbey, County Kildare, while serving as Comissioner of Musters for Kildare.

• 1586 When the lands the attainted Earl of Desmond were set out in plantation, Spenser was allotted 3,028 acres including the old castle Kilcolman.

• 1588 he inherited again from Lodowick Bryskett, the post of Clerk of the Council of Muster near Cork where Council met.

• In 1589 Spenser makes acquaintance of Sir Walter Ralegh, who after reading his draft of Faire Queene, urges him to return to London.

• In 1590 Sir Walter Ralegh presented the celebrated poet to the Queen Elisabeth.

(Maley)

1589 – The Faerie Queene, Books I-III

• The Faerie Queene was and is one of the most recognized works of Spenser

• The first 3 books were written while he was in Ireland.

• The Faerie Queene contained several books, each with their own prevailing theme.

• The main character in each was symbolic of virtues he thought most important in life.

• The characters in books one and three were, Redcrosse and Britomart that represented Holiness and Chastity.

• Spenser being protestant had under

tones in this work of the evils of the Catholic church, thus his characters were could defeat this evil with Christian virtues. (Maley, 10)

1590 - Complaints• This book was a collection of poems

that Spenser had written over a period of time to include the period after his friend Sidney’s death.

• Spenser was at a point in his life where he seemed to be feeling somewhat sorry for himself.

• His friend was gone, he had not risen up within court as he thought he would and these poems seem to reflect that somber mood.

• There appears to many references to Sidney throughout the work.

(Ward & Trent)

1591 – Colin Clovts come home againe

• In 1591 after spending a year with English court, and being barred further advancement, Spenser retreats to a self imposed exile back to Ireland.

• In “Colin Clouts come home againe” he talks about the political obstacles that are faced and expresses his views about the contemporary state of poetry of the day.

• He exalts the person representing the queen in this work with great imagery and compliments those of court that appreciated his work the Faire Queen, but through the Character Colin Clouts he speaks severely to the general state of affairs and the courts taste in poetry, particularly that dealing with love.

COLIN CLOVTS

Come home againe.

                         

By Ed. Spenser.LONDON.

Printed for VVilliam Ponsonbie.1595.

(Ward & Trent)

1594/1595 – Amoretti and Epithalamion

• Amoretti is a collection of 88 sonnets.

• The title is of Italian descent

• Sonnets were in the Elizabethan style verse.

• It was believed that the lady the verses were directed to or about was a woman that became his wife since it was released shortly after his marriage.

• Epithalamion was also released shortly thereafter. It is said to be one of his finest minor poetic works.

(Judson)

1596 – The Faire Queen Books I - VI

• In a letter to Sir Walter Ralegh Spenser outlines a plan to write 24 books of the Faire Queen.

• The first 3 books were released 6 years prior and were the catalyst of Spenser becoming known as a great writer challenging the brilliance of Chaucer.

• As was initially the plan, the Faire Queene’s books and characters were to represent the various virtues.

• The virtues in the first 6 books were presented as follows:

• Book I: Holiness • Book II: Temperance • Book III: Chastity • Book IV: Friendship • Book V: Justice • Book VI: Courtesy

• Also in the letter to Raleigh it is suggested the character Arthur represents the virtues of Magnificence, which according to the times represents the perfection of all the virtues. The Faire Queene is believed to have represented “Glory” hence the name Gloriana.

(“The Faerie Queene”)

1597 – A view of the present state of Ireland

• This piece was a political view of the happenings in Ireland.

• It was written between 1595 and 1597 at a time when there was much upheaval and rebellion occurring in Ireland.

• He took it to London and it was entered into Stationer’s Hall in early 1598 but he wasn’t given permission publish it.

(Ward & Trent)

Spenser’s Last days

• Throughout the years as Spenser tried to rise through court, his efforts were blocked by Baron Burghley.

• Burghley died in August 1597.

• Shortly there after he was named Sheriff of Cork and in October a rebellion occurred and his house sacked and burned. While he escaped, all was lost.

• In December 1597 Spenser was dispatched to London and again trying to gain position in court tried to get the Queen to enact reform in Ireland.

• It was not to be, in January he fell ill and quickly died. (Jokinen)

January 13, 1598

Spenser dies at Westminster

Edmund Spenser is buried in 'Poets'

Corner', Westminster Abbey,

London, England next to his beloved

Chaucer.

(Abrahms, et al)

Works Cited

Abrams, et. Al. “The Norton Anthology of English Literature” Seventh Edition, Volume 1. New York; Norton, 2000. 614-616

“Edmund Spenser.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 9 Apr 2007, 21:25 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10 Apr 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edmund_Spenser&oldid=12152044.>

"The Faerie Queene." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 18 Apr 2007, 11:03 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 18 Apr 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The Faerie Queene8oldid=123781829>

Jokinen, Anniina, “The Life of Edmund Spenser” 10 Apr 2007<http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/spensbio.htm>

Judson, Alexander, “The Life of Edmund Spenser” 14 Apr 2007, <http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/spenser/biography.htm>

Maley, Willy “A Spenser Chronology” The Edmund Spenser Home Page, 10 Apr 2007 <http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/spenser/biography.htm>

Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000, 10 Apr 2007 <http://www.bartleby.com/cambridge>