I.Edmund-Spenser埃德蒙·斯賓塞

1、 I . Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (15521599) was born in London. He received a good education first at Merchant Taylors' School and then at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He left Cambridge in 1576 and went to the north of England, where he fell in love and recorded his laments over the loss of Ro

2、salind in The Shepheardes Calender. Later he met Sir Philip Sidney and started a friendship with him, which sprang from a common enthusiasm for literature. In 1580, through Leicester's influence, Spenser was made secretary to Lord Grey of Wilton, the queen's deputy in Ireland. In 1586 he was

3、 given an immense estate with the castle of Kilcolm, surrounded by great natural beauty. In 1594 he married Elizabeth, and wrote his Epithalamion, one of the most beautiful wedding hymns for their marriage. In 1598 a fierce Irish rebellion forced Spenser to abandon Kilcolman Castle. Spenser never re

4、covered from the shock of this frightful experience. He returned to England heartbroken, and in the following year he died in an inn at Westminster. According to Ben Jonson he died "for want of bread." He was buried beside his master Chaucer in Westminster Abbey. Spenser's masterpiece

5、is The Faerie Queene, a great poem of its age. According to Spenser's own explanation, his principal intention is to present through a "historical poem" the example of a perfect gentleman: "to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline." He speaks o

6、f 12 virtues of the private gentleman, and plans 12 books, each one with a different hero distinguished for one of the private virtues. The hero of heroes, who possesses all of these virtues, is Arthur, and he is to play a role in each of the 12 major adventures, which has its own individual hero. T

7、he recurring appearances of Arthur serve as a unifying element for the poem as a whole. Another character contributing to the unity of the work is Gloriana, the Fairy Queen. It is from her court and at her bidding that each of the heroes sets out on his particular adventure. Prince Arthur's grea

8、t mission is his search for the Fairy Queen, with whom he has fallen in love through a love vision. The Faerie Queene is full of adventures and marvels, dragons, witches, enchanted trees, giants, jousting knights, and castles. It is also an allegory. The Redcrosse Knight in Book I stands for St. Geo

9、rge, the patron saint of England; he also represents Holiness, one of the 12 private virtues, as Sir Ouyon in Book Il represents Temperance. The heroes do not possess the virtues they represent at the beginning of the stories; they acquire them in the course of their adventures. Book I of The Faerie

10、 Queene is in a way an epitome of the whole poem. The purpose of Redcrosse's quest is to free original mankind the parents of Una from the power of the Devil. His fight is thus against sin. Una and her knight are first seen together in the opening canto when Redcrosse easily routs the dragon of

11、Error in the Wandering Wood. However, the tallen world of man is full of delusion, and the overconfident knight soon falls into the snares of Archimago. Redcrosse and Una are soon parted in Archimago's dark world of deceit as the knight falls for the illusory charms of Duessa, an evil woman. The

12、 quest against outer evil becomes an experience of inner sin. While Redcrosse falls further into error, Una is now facing a difficult situation in which evil forces pose a great threat to her. Misled by his purely worldly chivalry, Redcrosse is taken by Duessa to the House of Pride where he witnesse

13、s the pageant of the seven deadly sins. Redcrosse contrives to escape, but he falls prey to Orgoglio, the spiritual pride which attacks him as soon as the flesh triumphs over the spirit. Only the arrival of Arthur saves the knight. Redcrosse then despairs at his error. This marks the beginning of hi

14、s struggle back to truth, and he is comforted by Una who takes him to the House of Holiness where the process of his moral rebirth is concluded. After all this, Redcrosse is now ready to fight with the dragon which has been ravishing the Eden of Una's parents. After three days of fierce fighting

15、, Redcrosse kills the dragon and rescues Una's parents. The story ends with a happy wedding between Redcrosse Knight and Una. However, the theme is not "Arms and the man," but something more romantic "Fierce warres and faithfull loves." The scenery is not classical but romant

16、ic. There are plains and forests and caves and castles and magical trees and springs; one meets dwarfs and giants and lions and pilgrims and magicians. The good people are subjects of the Faerie Queene and are called Faeries, who undergo the trials and tribulations men undergo in the ordinary world;

17、 but these events are told in a romantic, fantastic way in order to arouse wonder. The bad creatures, people and monsters, are various vices, evils, and temptations, often revealed to the reader by their names or by the short verse summaries at the beginning of each canto but not revealed to the her

18、o until he has conquered them. Houses, casules and animals also stand for abstract virtues or vices. The five main qualities of Spenser's poetry are 1) a perfect melody; 2) a rare sense of beauty; 3) a splendid imagination; 4) a lofty moral purity and seriousness; and 5) a dedicated idealism. In

19、 addition to the above, Spenser uses strange forms of speech and obsolete words in order to increase the rustic effect. It is Spenser's idealism, his love of beauty, and his exquisite melody that make him known as "the poets' poet." Selected Reading:An Excerpt from The Faerie Queen

20、e (1) (The following excerpt is taken from Canto I, Book I, in which Redcrosse Knight sets out on his adventures. Here the Knight, symbolizing the Anglican Church, is the protector of the Virgin Una who stands for truth or the true religion.)1 A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plaine, Ycladd(2) in

21、 mightie armes and silver shielde, Wherein old dints of deepe wounds did remaine, The cruell markes of many a bloudy fielde;. Yet armes till that time did he never wield: (3) His angry steede did chide his foming bitt, As much disdayning to the curbe to yield: (4) Full jolly knight he seemed, and fa

22、ire did sitt, As one for knightly giusts(5) and fierce encounters fitt. 2 But on his brest a bloudie Crosse he bore, The deare remembrance of his dying Lord, For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore, And dead as living ever him adored:(6) Upon his shield the like was also scored, For sovera

23、ine hope, which in his helpe he had: (7) Right faithfull true he was in deede and word, But of his cheere did seeme too solemne sad;(8) Yet nothing did he dread, but ever was ydrad(9).3 Upon a great adventure he was bond, That greatest Gloriana to him gave, That greatest Glorious Queene of Faerie Lo

24、nd, to winne him worship, and her grace to have, Which of all earthly things he most did crave; And ever as he rode, his hart did earne(10) To prove his puissance(11) in battell brave Upon his foe, and his new force to learne; Upon his foe, a Dragon horrible and stearne(12).4 A lovely Ladie rode him

25、 faire beside, Upon a lowly Asse more white then snow, Yet she much whiter, (13) but the same did hide Under a vele, that wimpled was full low, (14) And over all a blacke stole she did throw, As one that inly mournd: (15) so was she sad, And heavie sat upon her palfrey(16) slow: Seemed in heart some

26、 hidden care she had, And by her in a line a milke white lambe she lad(17).5 So pure an innocent, as that same lambe, (18) She was in life and every vertuous lore, And by descent from Royall lynage came Of ancient Kings and Queenes, that had of yore Their scepters stretcht from East to Westerne shor

27、e, And all the world in their subjection held; Till that infernall feend with foule uprore Forwasted all their land, (19) and them expeld: Whom to avenge, she had this Knight from fax compeld(20).6 Behind her farre away a Dwarfe did lag, That lasie seemd in being ever last, Or wearied with bearing o

28、f her bag Of needments(21) at his backe. Thus as they past, The day with cloudes was suddeine overcast, And angry Jove(22) an hideous storme of raine Did poure into his Lemans lap(23) so fast, That every wight to shrowd it did constrain, (24) And this faire couple eke to shroud themselves were fain(

29、25).7 Enforst to seeke some covert nigh at hand, A shadie grove not far away they spide(26), That promist ayde the tempest to withstand: Whose loftie trees yclad with sommers pride, Did spred so broad, that heavens light did hide, Not perceable with power of any starre: And all within were pathes an

30、d alleies wide, With footing worne, and leading inward farre: Faire harbour that them seemes; so in they entred arre. (27) Notes: (1) The poem is written in the stanza invented by the poet himself, the Spenserian stanza, i.e., a stanza of nine lines, with the first eight lines in iambic pentameter a

31、nd the last line in iambic hexameter, rhyming ababbcbcc. (2) ycladd: clad. (3) Yet armes till that time did he never wield: i.e., the knight had never fought in the battle field, so the weapon was new to him. (4) His angry steede did chide his foming bitt, /As much disdayning to the curbe to yield:

32、His horse, foaming with anger, ground the mouth-piece of the bridle as if too proud to yield to its master's control. (5) giust: same as joust (the encounter of two knights on horseback at a tourna ment). (6) And dead as living ever him adored: And always adored him (Jesus Christ) dead as if ali

33、ve. (7) Upon his shield the like was also scored,/For soveraine hope, which in his helpe he had: Upon his shield there was also the mark of a Cross, as a sign of supreme hope which he received with the help of the Lord. (8) But of his cheere did seeme too solemne sad: But in countenance and bearing he seemed too solemnly grave. The word "cheere" here means countenance. (9) ydrad: dreaded. (10) his hart did