Fantasy of the Fifteen Hundreds...
Written by Edmund Spenser, it is one of the longest English
poems ever written. Published in two
editions, one in 1590 and the other in 1596, The Faerie Queene is notable in that the style of prose was
original and took on the name of the author, thus establishing a new style, Spenserian stanza. As fantasy goes...it's drippy, and in my
opinion, written solely to impress Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I. However, it’s worthy as a cornerstone classic
from the 16th century (one which isn’t Shakespeare, the dominant literary force
of the era). It apparently worked. Spenser was awarded a pension of 50 pounds a
year by Her Royal Highness...a stately sum for the 1590's. Whether or not Elizabeth every read the book...we
will never know...but Edmund got his prize...with time on his hands to
denigrate the degenerate Irish...
The
First Editions of The Faerie Queene...