Book Study

The Fairie Queene

LIBR 280

Stephanie Hawkins

Introduction

The Fairie Queene by Edmund Spenser is a classic poem that still has relevance today in both the English and library realms of study.  For this blog, a first edition of volume 1 was located at Louisiana State University in the Special Collections department and a visit was arranged.  Mr. Spenser and his publisher, Mr. Ponsonby did a fantastic job creating a book that has lasted over 420 years in incredible shape, as shall be seen. The book is still in readable condition, all the pages are intact and there is even some hand written additions that are still in great shape.

Title

The Fairie Queene

This title is in reference to Queen Elizabeth of England, whose patronage Edmund sought during his trips to the court.   And in fact the work is dedicated to Queen Elizabeth on the recto of the title page with a lovely dedication from Edmund Spenser to Her Royal Highness.  Please see the title page and the dedication.

Picture used courtesy of LSU Special Collections

Author

Edmund Spenser wrote The Fairie Queene in multiple parts through several years. Edmund’s birth and parentage is unclear with only speculation about either.   History does record that he attended Pembroke College and graduated with a Bachelors degree or the equivalent in 1573 and a Masters degree in 1576.  While at college, he befriended several young men who would later help him in the court and with patronages.  One of the young men he met was John Young, the future Bishop of Rochester who employed Spenser as a secretary after they finished college. 

While working, Edmund spent time writing poems and letters.  His play, The Sheapherdes Calendar was published in 1579 after he worked for both, the Bishop of Rochester and the Earl of Leicester, Sir Robert Dudley, whom he had met while attending Pembroke.  Eventually Edmund was appointed as secretary to the Lord Deputy of Ireland and moved to Dublin where he quickly started moving up the political chain.  By 1589 he was living on a manor and met Sir Walter Raleigh who enjoyed what he read of The Fairie Queene and encouraged Spenser to publish it.  They traveled to London together and in 1590, William Ponsonby published The Fairie Queene. 

Edmund Spenser married an Irish woman, Elizabeth Boyle, on 11 June 1594 but he died only 5 years later in 1599. 

Publisher

The publisher of this edition was William Ponsonby or Ponsonbie as is noted on the title page.  Mr. Ponsonby is remembered primarily for his publication of Edmund Spenser’s works but he also published works by John Alnay, “Praise and Dispraise for Women”, a few translations by the Countess of Pembrooke and the 1^st edition of Sidney’s “Apologie for Poetrie” which was compiled by Sidney’s sister (Stephen, 1896, p.88).  Mr. Ponsonby had his shop in London, England until his death in 1604.

Place of Publication

London, England in 1590 was part of the British Empire under the rule of Queen Elizabeth.  She was the second daughter of King Henry VIII and the final child of his to reign over the kingdom.  By 1590 Elizabeth had been on the thrown for 32 years and was about 57 years old.  London was a city of roughly 200,000 run by a Lord Mayor (Cummings, 2003).  

Queen Elizabeth I

Context

Edmund Spenser was looking to secure a patronage from Queen Elizabeth and return from his work in Ireland as he wrote his poem dedicated to the queen.  Life in Ireland was not exactly what he had planned on after working for both the Bishop of Rocester and the Earl of Leicester, both of whom he met as a student at Pembroke Hall.  But the intrigue surrounding Elizabethan court life could always be difficult and stories suggest that a few courtiers were less than thrilled with Mr. Spenser and arranged for his initial posting to Ireland and the continued positions after that.  One thing is sure with Queen Elizabeth and her “men”, she played them all very well.  This was part of her ability to keep her throne for herself.  She was not Henry VIII’s daughter for nothing.

Life for England in 1590 was not terrible.  The country had recently defeated the Spanish Armada although the war with Spain had not ended. This was not just a defeat but a rout with less than ½ the ships returning to Spain and most of those in poor shape.  The War continued until about 1604 when the Catholic countries in Europe gave up on returning England to a Catholic monarchy and Elizabeth I passed away.  

Within his poem, the characters are taken from his real life friends and counter-parts, not just the Queen but most of the characters.  One can see the various knights and ladies played out within the kingdom for better or worse, especially as the second volume is published several years later.  The poems, once published would be read by those at court, often reading out loud to those who could not.  Also the merchant class, becoming richer as their businesses grew, had more access to books and education making a great audience for this type of poetry.  The appeal would be wide in most areas as the poetry is easy to read and even today not terribly difficult to understand on the surface.  The deeper meanings would take more study but that is less likely at the original publication time. 

Other happenings around the kingdom during the end of the 16^th century would include the early attempts to expand the Empire by settling the New World, the Queen’s dealings with Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins and Sir Walter Raleigh (who re-introduced Edmund Spenser to the Queen in 1589) and the piracy dealings the English were dealing with against the Spanish.  For Edmund, he had not yet met his wife in Ireland but it can be surmised that he had a “friend” or two in London to keep him company on his trips.  Or perhaps there was a girl he hoped to gain permission to marry if only he could be posted back to the court. 

William Ponsonby was not the only publisher at the time and one cannot be sure why he was selected by Edmund but once the relationship started, it continued until Edmund’s death in 1599.  Ponsonby published Edmund’s work along with the other works previously mentioned.