Selected Poetry

by Edmund Spenser, Leo Kirschbaum (Editor)

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 56-10722

Genres: Poetry

548 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1956

About the author

Edmund Spenser (c. 1552 - 1599) was an important English poet and Poet Laureate best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem celebrating, through fantastical allegory, the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I.

Though he is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, Spenser is also a controversial figure due to his zeal for the destruction of Irish culture and colonisation of Ireland.

Reviews

[Cliff Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The struggle with archaic language is worth it, to drink in this masterpiece of world literature. Take your time, read patiently.

Surprisingly, perhaps, my favorite was not the Fairie Queen but Epithalamion -- his hymn to his bride -- a glorious, sensuous celebration of love.

[James Violand · Rating 4 out of 5]

The archaic English is a little tough for some, but if you get into it, it becomes easier. I bought this book for the sake of Spenser's The Faerie Queene. Knights examine virtues to instill in the reader - presumably of an appropriate age where reading could influence the reader's life - a righteous disposition. Some would say this work is an allegory on many different levels. I don't think so. It is charming.