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bluelilyblue's review against another edition
really took me the whole term to finish lol
savharris15's review against another edition
4.0
Book 1 of "The Faerie Queene" was epic and beautiful. It took some time to get used to the old language and prose, but eventually I felt like I could read it more quickly and coherently while understanding what was going on. I loved the vivid descriptions of battle scenes and characters. They are probably some of the best I've ever read! I look forward to hopefully sharing this one with my children in their highschool years.
potterpav's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
surprisingly, i really really liked this poem! after finding out the entire thing is an allegory for protestantism, it became even cooler in my perspective >:) it was a bit of a slog at places but overall the verse was gorgeous and spenser really knew what he was doing when he wrote character descriptions and action scenes omg... the lion deserved better and death to sansjoy but genuinely thought this text was pretty cool!!!!! difficult but worth it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
amelieks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
_jessica_08_'s review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
camdailey's review against another edition
3.5
I struggled with the language in the beginning which made it more difficult to enjoy but I found that over time I became accustomed to it. I read this for a college course, and I ended up enjoying their story much more than I had anticipated. It was full of plot-twists and well written characters with an interesting blend of mythologies and symbolism.
nina_christine's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hopetull's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
insearchof_wonder_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one where I give 5 stars out of appreciation and respect rather than straight enjoyment.
In other words, the archaic language made it somewhat of a challenge to read, so it definitely was not a mindless pleasure read type of enjoyment. I'm not intellectual enough to pick up this sort of book "just for fun" and/or entertainment. It was more of an educational read for me, and in that respect, I appreciated it.
Besides that, my reading preferences tend toward realism - magical fanciful stories and allegories are not genres I choose for pleasure reading, even excellent classic ones. The genre of this book, therefore, is not my preferred genre.
However. The excellence of a thing doesn't always lie in my subjective enjoyment of it, and that's where I give this 5 stars. With the help of the footnotes and the word definitions, once I got into the flow of the language, it was very easy to understand. Spenser wasn't trying to be coy, ironic, or obscure like so many authors today. He tells it like it is, but eloquently.
In this first book of six, we follow Redcross the knight on his journey toward holiness, and the snags and temptations he meets along the way. It's a lovely allegory of the process of sanctification, and Spenser very capably describes the foes that every believer encounters on that journey: pride, despair, lust, deception, hypocrisy and more. His crowning moment and the great trial that purifies him the most is his battle with the dragon, which is quite epic all by itself. He thereby wins the hand of the fair maiden Una, and thus concludes his story.
While it can be difficult to look past the archaic language, this story is perfectly relevant for modern readers, not only because it heavily influenced many of the authors we know and love, C S Lewis most especially. What Redcross experiences metaphorically, we all experience materially. We face the same giants and monsters he did. In particular, the Canto where he meets up with Despair felt startlingly modern to me, unfamiliar patterns of speech notwithstanding. That Canto was gold right there, the truth within it just as relevant and vital today as it was several hundred years ago.
In other words, the archaic language made it somewhat of a challenge to read, so it definitely was not a mindless pleasure read type of enjoyment. I'm not intellectual enough to pick up this sort of book "just for fun" and/or entertainment. It was more of an educational read for me, and in that respect, I appreciated it.
Besides that, my reading preferences tend toward realism - magical fanciful stories and allegories are not genres I choose for pleasure reading, even excellent classic ones. The genre of this book, therefore, is not my preferred genre.
However. The excellence of a thing doesn't always lie in my subjective enjoyment of it, and that's where I give this 5 stars. With the help of the footnotes and the word definitions, once I got into the flow of the language, it was very easy to understand. Spenser wasn't trying to be coy, ironic, or obscure like so many authors today. He tells it like it is, but eloquently.
In this first book of six, we follow Redcross the knight on his journey toward holiness, and the snags and temptations he meets along the way. It's a lovely allegory of the process of sanctification, and Spenser very capably describes the foes that every believer encounters on that journey: pride, despair, lust, deception, hypocrisy and more. His crowning moment and the great trial that purifies him the most is his battle with the dragon, which is quite epic all by itself. He thereby wins the hand of the fair maiden Una, and thus concludes his story.
While it can be difficult to look past the archaic language, this story is perfectly relevant for modern readers, not only because it heavily influenced many of the authors we know and love, C S Lewis most especially. What Redcross experiences metaphorically, we all experience materially. We face the same giants and monsters he did. In particular, the Canto where he meets up with Despair felt startlingly modern to me, unfamiliar patterns of speech notwithstanding. That Canto was gold right there, the truth within it just as relevant and vital today as it was several hundred years ago.