Spenser's "fierce warres and faithfull loves" Book

This book investigates Spenser's knowledge and use of the symbolism of war and chivalry, of the meanings attached to every aspect of knighthood in his own time. In doing so it examines afresh some of the basic constituents of Spenser's chivalric epic, drawing on a wide range of contemporary sources, including heraldry and the visual arts, as well as historical and antiquarian works. The relevant classical and Christian associations of armour and weapons are set out in the first four chapters; and Spenser's telling, often ironic reference to them throughout The Faerie Queeneis demonstrated. His knowledge of contemporary heraldic convention is shown; and seemingly simple descriptions of armour and battles are revealed as possessing a dense allusive texture. The book ends with chapters on the poem's two great chivalric festivals, the tournaments of Books I and IV; and these are placed within the context of the Elizabethan chivalric revival. A pervasive allusionto the Order of the Garter is demonstrated, leading to a new interpretation of these books. This, together with the overall discussion of the symbolism of wars and chivalry, alters considerably our perception of the fundamentally chivalric and Arthurian form of The Faerie Queene.