Homework: The Faerie Queene Name ____________________
Answers in bold font or color, please
Question to Prepare for Final Exam (not part of homework): Considering that this work is an allegory, what is symbolized in the end when the Red Cross Knight (whom we learn is St. George, the patron saint of England) marries lady “Una”? [Slide 10 states that she represents “Truth,” but specifically, she stands for what Spenser saw as “The True Religion,” which in the case of England at that time, would have been not Catholicism but the Church of England or Anglicanism. Comment on Spenser’s political (or religious-political) message contained in the union between the characters St. George and Una. One quote. (250+ words)
A. First Video, Lecture on The Faerie Queene by Adam Crowley
Start at minute marker 4:30 and go to 12:00
1. Beginning Questions:
a) What is the green world literally? Crowley says this particular green space different than others. Remember in post “Reformation” England, the Church of England was rabidly anti-Roman Catholic – largely for political and national identity reasons.
b) Who is the character Error
c) What does her vomit represent for Spencer (in terms of religious history)?
2. There Muslims represented in this text. If you catch the names of the Muslim characters write them down here. How are they represented?
3.What is the difference mentioned by the lecturer between Spenser’s Faerie Queene and Mallory’s Morte D’Arthur (The Death of King Arthur)?
4. What does Crowley say about the dwarf?
5. For which English queen does Spencer write the Faerie Queene?
B. Slide Show: Ten Slides with Definitions
6. Slide Number 3 uses which two
genres and which two literary terms to describe this piece?
Which Two Genres __________ and ____________
Literary Terms or Techniques _____________ and _____________
7. Slide Number 4: What are three qualities of the medieval genre called romance?
a)
b)
c)
8. What are three duties of the Chivalric Code?
a)
b)
c)
9. Slides 5 and 6 allow you to answer this Period Question:
The Faerie Queene was written in the _______________ period,
but it was set in the ________________ period.
10. Slide 8: What are the six virtues represented in the six books of the F.Q. that were finished?
Background: Open Wikipedia page to see the list of character names.
Define the following allegorical names:
a) Britomart
b) Orgoglio
c) Una
Background: Open the Wikisource Glossary.
Scroll through, glancing at the many words that we recognize.
Choose five words that we use today and provide their old definitions with them here:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
C. View 13 MINUTES 0:00-13:00 of the video clip labeled “Supplemental Material”
BBC’s The Secret Life of Books, Series 2
11-15. DO FIVE POINTS WORTH OF WORK ON THE FIRST 13 MINUTES OF THIS VIDEO. You may want to watch more; it’s quite good. I think it’s super cool, actually. Answer at least five of the following questions – you can write in paragraph form, but be sure to show that you’ve watched all 13 minutes.
What is the speaker’s general attitude towards The Faerie Queene?
She says “This is a deeply subversive book” – explain what she means (60+ words)
[There could be commercial breaks here and there, my version kept pausing.]
What did you learn during minutes 5:00-6:00
What did you learn during minutes 8:00-9:00
What do you learn about Spenser’s social class background? 12:00-13:00
Name one or more texts in English literature that influenced him? 12:00-13:00
NOW PREPARE TO READ AND LISTEN TO THE TEXT ITSELF.
Audio with Textbook. While most of the audio selections available in this class are optional, in this case, in this case we strongly recommend that you listen while you read. Trust us, listen while you read. At least until you get into the story. You will find it so much easier to understand, enjoyable even, if you do.
No need to read all the Cantos. There are 12 Cantos (just in Book 1 alone!), and the audio recordings are 20-30 min each, so I do not expect you to listen to all of them, but I have included them all in case any of you is carried away J For now we will listen to and read Book 1, Cantos 1-4 for this homework assignment. Book 3, Cantos 11 and 12 should be read in preparation for the final exam.
Print out the plot summary of Book 1, Cantos 1-4 (only) to use as a guide as you listen and read.
Open the Audio Link LIBRIVOX
The first four Cantos of Book 1 are 29, 22, 21, 27 minutes to listen long, respectively.
Turn to page 781 (P. 253 in the 10th Edition) in Vol. B of textbook; attend to the footnotes as you listen and read.
D. READ WHILE LISTENING TO LIBRIVOX
Canto 1
Prepare for Final Exam: What is “Error,” and how is she represented? (p. 785, footnote 9).
Prepare for Exam: Paraphrase Stanzas 14-26 in modern English.
16. Archimago is introduced in stanza 43. What does his name suggest?
17. What uncharacteristic behavior does Una do in the Knight’s dream (stanzas 46-49)?
Canto 2
18. What does Archimago make the R.C. Knight think he sees? (stanzas 4-5)
19. Who is Sansfoy? What happens to him?
20. Who is Duessa, What story does she tell the R.C. Knight to get him to take her with him?
21. What is the nature of the tree in stanzas 29-44?
Canto 3
22. The Narrator speaks directly to the reader in stanzas 1-2. What does he say?
23. What does the character Kirkrapine stand for and what happens to him?
24. What animal accompanies Una and what does it represent?
25. Who is Sansloy and what does he do at the end of this canto?
Canto 4
26-30. Consider the character “Lucifera,” Queen of the House of Pride, who enters in Canto 4, Stanza 6. In Stanzas 13-15, Lucifera dismisses Redcross and Duessa. Read Stanzas 16-38 carefully and make a claim about Spenser’s version of this female Lucifer, and/or the seven deadly sins and/or Satan, in contrast to any others you have read about in this class.
250+ words (5 points). Use two quotes.
NOTE: Your ability to discuss Spenser’s Lucifera might be required in the final exam.
