Spenser: The Faerie Queene, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful literary piece in a masterful edition
Review: Fortunately, in reviewing this book I am not faced with the usual difficulty of separating the quality of the work itself from the quality of its presentation; both are exquisite.

Edmund Spenser's _The Faerie Qveene_ is rightly considered one of the timeless masterpieces of English literature. Collectively, it is an embodiment of and a response to both medieval and Renaissance themes and devices. The medieval romantic and Arthurian genres are blended with Petrarchan techniques and Neoplatonic philosophy. Nevertheless, Spenser maintains a distinct style all his own; the nine-line stanza is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful conventions in poetic verse. Oh yeah, and it's a darn good story too.

This edition of the "booke" far outshines any other I've encountered. The text itself is annotated with copious footnotes which explain unclear passages, point out allusions to classical, medieval and contemporary events, and provide criticism. All of the peripheral material associated with _The Faerie Qveene_ is also provided, including the dedication to Raleigh and introductory sonnets. Other value-adding perks include a comprehensive bibliography, a chart showing minor changes made between the poem's three publications, and a character guide.

Though this thick volume may seem daunting, it is in fact quite enjoyable. The notes are fairly unintrusive, so the casual reader can skim or read through the poem at his or her own pace, with the option to delve deeper if he or she desires.

I strongly advise anyone with an interest in Renaissance literature, Shakespeare, poetry, or English literature as a whole, to purchase this book, and to dish out the bit of extra money for this particular edition.

Rating:
Summary: But not exactly fun
Review: I would have to disagree with the reviewer that called Spenser's epic "fun" to read... it is a lot of work, not only because of the length but because of the archaisms involved in Spenserian diction. On the other hand the work is definitely fruitful, one finds passages of indelible beauty and insight. For scholarly criticism I would recommend the Oxford edition ("Poetical Works") with an introduction by E. de Selincourt: he often points out just the stanza or two that helps place the entire poem into a new perspective. Make no mistake about it, the Spenserian stanza (ababbcbcc) is a difficult read, whether one is talking Byron's "Childe Harold" or Novak's "Requiem": in all cases (I would say) a significant amount of effort is required, simply to follow the train of the author's thought, which, because of the difficult nature of the stanza perhaps, is not necessarily clearly linear... but in the long run, MAKE NO MISTAKE the effort is clearly worth it, and Spenser, if not exactly conforming to one's expectations, will not exactly disappoint them either. A worthwhile read, even in bits and pieces, if you cannot adhere to the storyline as a whole.

Rating:
Summary: But not exactly fun
Review: I would have to disagree with the reviewer that called Spenser's epic "fun" to read... it is a lot of work, not only because of the length but because of the archaisms involved in Spenserian diction. On the other hand the work is definitely fruitful, one finds passages of indelible beauty and insight. For scholarly criticism I would recommend the Oxford edition ("Poetical Works") with an introduction by E. de Selincourt: he often points out just the stanza or two that helps place the entire poem into a new perspective. Make no mistake about it, the Spenserian stanza (ababbcbcc) is a difficult read, whether one is talking Byron's "Childe Harold" or Novak's "Requiem": in all cases (I would say) a significant amount of effort is required, simply to follow the train of the author's thought, which, because of the difficult nature of the stanza perhaps, is not necessarily clearly linear... but in the long run, MAKE NO MISTAKE the effort is clearly worth it, and Spenser, if not exactly conforming to one's expectations, will not exactly disappoint them either. A worthwhile read, even in bits and pieces, if you cannot adhere to the storyline as a whole.

Rating:
Summary: Poetry sinks under the weight of scholarship
Review: There's no question that this is a lot of book for the money, and it's an essential volume for the serious student. The introductory matter is a disappointment, though; instead of guiding us into this massive work with a view to our gaining pleasure from it (and above all else, Spenser is _fun_ to read), Hamilton gives us a dense and barely readable collection of quotations from other critics and cross-references to scholarly papers. Many of the footnotes in the text suffer from the same kind of high-priestly scholarship, mixed with a tendency to ferret out sexual symbolism wherever it can be found. There is plenty of information in the notes to clear up the inevitable confusion modern readers must experience, but at times one wishes a giant could wield a club without the accompaniment of chattering from a tribe of commentators about phalluses and biblical parallels. In short, this volume contains all that is good and all that is bad about "literary criticism".

Rating:
Summary: Vast Improvement over the first edition
Review: This is the second edition of the best version of The Faerie Queene available. It is a marked improvement over the first edition. For one thing, you can actually read the type. The first edition looked like it was mimeographed (for those of you who remember what that looked like). The layout is now much better, and the notes (on the same page and with the same size font as the text) and cross references remain indispensable for anyone not born in 1600.

Rating:
Summary: Vast Improvement over the first edition
Review: This is the second edition of the best version of The Faerie Queene available. It is a marked improvement over the first edition. For one thing, you can actually read the type. The first edition looked like it was mimeographed (for those of you who remember what that looked like). The layout is now much better, and the notes (on the same page and with the same size font as the text) and cross references remain indispensable for anyone not born in 1600.

Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Poem Brilliantly Edited by Professor Hamilton
Review: This second edition of "The Faerie Queene," with A.C. Hamilton as the editor, again sets the standard for critical editions of Edmund Spenser's classic poem. This volume replaces Hamilton's first edition of the poem as the standard academic text. Anyone who is serious about studying the poem should purchase this particular edition. In addition to featuring a much clearer typeface than that of the first edition, the second edition contains critical commentary about the poem that is as current as one could expect (i.e., through the '90s). The footnotes are conveniently and unobtrusively placed at the bottom of the text, so one can easily ignore them, if they prefer. However, the labyrinth of cross-references are highly informative, provocative, and illustrate the poem's incredible richness. I find myself so engaged in the contemporary criticism of the poem that I'm constantly going to the library to read the articles to which the notes refer.

If you already have the first edition that was edited by Hamilton (or if you were lukewarm about reading Spenser in the first place), you may not need this updated edition, unless you would like to read the updated essays and commentary. However, if you love "The Faerie Queene," this particular volume will provide you with many hours (and possibly years) of enjoyment. It is well known that the poem is one of the greatest ever to be penned in the English language. In the second edition, Hamilton helps us all understand why this poem speaks so powerfully to us over four hundred years later. This is truly a marvelous poem and a great academic text.