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ed_moore's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I think the time that it took me to read Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ is the longest it has ever taken me to read a book. I started this behemoth of an allegorical poem back in August last year and the main reason it took so long was just that it is far too long. It has no right to be 1055 pages long whatsoever. ‘The Faerie Queene’ is a 6 book (7 is you count the unfinished mutability cantos) long arthurian romance following knights which represent different religious virtues, riding around Faerie Land completing quests and slaying monsters in devotion to The Faerie Queene. For a book named after her however the Faerie Queene doesn’t even appear in it.
With so many different knights and plot lines the poem was all over the place, the confusion only enhanced by the fact that everything was allegorical and many of these allegories I didn’t pick up on whilst reading. Each canto often involved an entirely new side quest and location and after book 2 as soon as more characters were introduced the poem completely lost its consistency as every canto begun to seem completely disconnected from the last. The plot got so all over the place that at times Spenser even forgets what he is writing about, such as an event where a character is mourned whilst being stood right within the group in the previous canto, forgotten in the next, and then returns. Book four especially seemed to lack focus, I couldn’t even identify a main quest or knight in which where the rest of the books at least have some distinctive aim even if it is forgotten about for most of the book and quickly resolved in the final twelfth canto.
There were many recurring themes across the poem which shoudn’t have had quite so much emphasis too. Spenser throws in characters from Chaucer or the Arthurian legends just to create a pseudo-fan fiction or parallel himself into the medieval canon which felt really unneeded and it has taken me far too long to mention Spenser’s language choices. Just for his poem to appear older and among the great tales of chivalry from medieval times he writes in a made up archaic language and uses frequent classical references. The latter was no problem but in swapping all his J’s for I’s and U’s to V’s the process of reading the poem just had heaps of unnecessary complications, I eventually got the hang of it after around two books but was still a frustration. Spenser uses many magical items without establishing an ingrained magical system or providing context so the reader just has to accept such things exist and get on with it and there were far too many occasions of knights attacking one another unprovoked, often trying to steal the women accompanying them, creating ideas of cult chivalrous ownership. I will also mention that there are many instances of SA that are just completely brushed over and not treated well at all.
There were some positives of this poem. I can respect Spenser’s dedication to his poetic form as it remained consistent and without alteration across the whole poem, and such form has become known as a Spenserian stanza, which is probably deserved for his unwavering dedication. Britomart was also a fantastic character, she was the strongest of all the knights and often the most successful, complete subverting any gender roles. Separate from her however each knight figure weren’t that unique, other than perhaps Artegall who just rode round committing violence as an act of justice and I can’t not bring up the fact that he for some reason has a mass murdering robotic squire. Honestly by book 5 Spenser was just doing whatever on earth he felt like with the poem. ‘The Faerie Queene’ was certainly a journey, and one I am not that keen to reminisce on. All I can say is thank goodness Spenser didn’t get round to writing his initial 24 planned books for the poem otherwise it would be another 21 months until I would be sitting down to review this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
strabbyfieldz's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
my head hurts too many of these characters had similar names and also idk sometimes it was really good and interesting and sometimes it felt like me DMing a game of DND and opening in a tavern for the 5000th time. and ofc, there had to be all the usual isms for the time period... britomart I had feelings for you until I realised you're a glorified figurehead for the british empire okay peace out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Blood, Racism, Body horror, and Sexism
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
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