Edmund Spenser, born around 1552 in London, was a significant figure in English literature, best known for his works 'The Shepheardes Calender' and 'The Faerie Queene'. His poetry is characterized by its elaborate allegories, innovative stanza form, and themes of love, virtue, and beauty. Spenser's contributions earned him the title 'the poet’s poet,' and he was buried beside Chaucer in Westminster Abbey after his death in 1599.

1. Edmund Spenser
Presented by : Dhruvita Dhameliya
Roll no : 06
Subject : History of English Literature from - 1350 to
1900
Topic : Edmund Spenser’s life and work
Submitted to : S. B. Gardi Department of English, MKBU

2. Points to ponder:
Spenser's life
Spenser's works
Spenser's achivement
Spenser's Death

3. Edmund Spenser
The exact dates and location of Spenser's life are not precisely known but it is
believed that he was born in East Smithfield, London around the year 1552.
He was educated in the classics at merchant Taylor school, in a humanist
environment where music and dramatic performance were encouraged.
At the age of 16 or 17 Spenser left merchant Taylor's to attend Pembroke college,
Cambridge in 1569.
Spenser was awarded a B.A in 1573 and an M.A in 1576.
Spenser published his first poetic work : The shepheardes Calender, ten years
later , he then began work on The faerie Queene which was published in 1590 .

4. Spenser's work :
1 ) The shepheardes Calender (1579)
2) The Faerie Queene
3) Epithalamion
4) Amoretti
5) prothalamion

5. The shepheardes Calender:
Spenser's first major poem, published in 1579. Dedicated to sir Philip
Sidney.
The Shepheardes Calender is written in the form of pastoral Eclouges.
Written in 12 Eclouges dedicated to each month of year.
Main theme : Love , poetry and religion.
The poems are peopled by shepherds who represents Spenser and his
friends. Spenser appears as Collin clout , whose love affair and rejection
by Rosalinde centralise poem artistically.

6. The faerie Queene
Spenser's skillful blending of religious and historical allegory with
chivalric romance. The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by
Edmund Spenser. Book 1 to 3 were first published in 1590, then
republished in 1596 together with books 4 to 6.
The Faerie Queene notable for its form : at over 36,000 lines and over
4,000 stanzas.it is one of the longest poems in the English language, it
is also the work in which Spenser invented the verse form known as
the spenserian Stanza.

7. The Faerie Queene :
On a literal level, the poem follows several
knights as a means to examine different
virtues and though the text is primarily an
allegorical work. It can be read on several
levels of allegory including as praise of
Queen Elizabeth - 1
Political allegory
Religious and moral allegory

8. Spenserian Stanza :
Spenser's greatest contribution was the spenserian stanza which firmly established
itself as a metre of all kinds of narrative or reflective poetry.
The spenserian stanza is a fixed verse form. Each stanza contains nine lines in total
eight lines in iambic pentameter followed by a single ‘ Alexandrine’ line in Iambic
hexameter.
The rhyme scheme of these lines is ‘ ABABBCBCC’.
This excercised the deepest ‘ fascination on romantic poets and was used admirable
by,
Thomas in ‘ The castle of indolence’ , Keats in the ‘ Eve of St.Agnes’ ,Shelley in ‘
Revolt of Islam’ and Byron in ‘Childe Harold’s pilgrimage’

9. Achivement :
Spenser was called “ The Poet’s poet by Charles Lamb.
Alexander pope compared Spenser to ‘ a mistress, whose faults we see, but
love her with them all’.
Spenser's poetry is characterised by sensuousness and spelndid
imagination, perfect melody.
John Milton in his Areopagitica mentions “ Our sage and serious poet
Spenser,whom I dare be known to think a better teacher than scotus or
Aquinas”

10. Continue….
According to Long, “ it is Spenser’s idealism, his love of
beauty and his exquisite melody which have caused him to be
known as ‘ The poet's poet’.
John Dryden, ‘Dedication to the Aeneid no man was ever
born with greater genius or had more knowledge to support
it’.
Leigh Hunt, ‘imagination and fancy I think that if he had not
been a great poet he would have been a great painter’.

11. Death of Spenser
He died in 13 January 1599 age
of forty six his coffin carried to
his grave besides Chaucer in
the ‘ poet’s corner of the
Westminster Abbey, who threw
many pens and pieces of Poetry
into his grave with tears.

12. Citation :
“Edmund Spenser.” Biography, biography.yourdictionary.com/edmund-spenser.
“Edmund Spenser.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edmund-spenser.
“The Faerie Queene and Last Years of Edmund Spenser.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Spenser/The-
Faerie-Queene-and-last-years.