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hopetull's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
insearchof_wonder_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one where I give 5 stars out of appreciation and respect rather than straight enjoyment.
In other words, the archaic language made it somewhat of a challenge to read, so it definitely was not a mindless pleasure read type of enjoyment. I'm not intellectual enough to pick up this sort of book "just for fun" and/or entertainment. It was more of an educational read for me, and in that respect, I appreciated it.
Besides that, my reading preferences tend toward realism - magical fanciful stories and allegories are not genres I choose for pleasure reading, even excellent classic ones. The genre of this book, therefore, is not my preferred genre.
However. The excellence of a thing doesn't always lie in my subjective enjoyment of it, and that's where I give this 5 stars. With the help of the footnotes and the word definitions, once I got into the flow of the language, it was very easy to understand. Spenser wasn't trying to be coy, ironic, or obscure like so many authors today. He tells it like it is, but eloquently.
In this first book of six, we follow Redcross the knight on his journey toward holiness, and the snags and temptations he meets along the way. It's a lovely allegory of the process of sanctification, and Spenser very capably describes the foes that every believer encounters on that journey: pride, despair, lust, deception, hypocrisy and more. His crowning moment and the great trial that purifies him the most is his battle with the dragon, which is quite epic all by itself. He thereby wins the hand of the fair maiden Una, and thus concludes his story.
While it can be difficult to look past the archaic language, this story is perfectly relevant for modern readers, not only because it heavily influenced many of the authors we know and love, C S Lewis most especially. What Redcross experiences metaphorically, we all experience materially. We face the same giants and monsters he did. In particular, the Canto where he meets up with Despair felt startlingly modern to me, unfamiliar patterns of speech notwithstanding. That Canto was gold right there, the truth within it just as relevant and vital today as it was several hundred years ago.
In other words, the archaic language made it somewhat of a challenge to read, so it definitely was not a mindless pleasure read type of enjoyment. I'm not intellectual enough to pick up this sort of book "just for fun" and/or entertainment. It was more of an educational read for me, and in that respect, I appreciated it.
Besides that, my reading preferences tend toward realism - magical fanciful stories and allegories are not genres I choose for pleasure reading, even excellent classic ones. The genre of this book, therefore, is not my preferred genre.
However. The excellence of a thing doesn't always lie in my subjective enjoyment of it, and that's where I give this 5 stars. With the help of the footnotes and the word definitions, once I got into the flow of the language, it was very easy to understand. Spenser wasn't trying to be coy, ironic, or obscure like so many authors today. He tells it like it is, but eloquently.
In this first book of six, we follow Redcross the knight on his journey toward holiness, and the snags and temptations he meets along the way. It's a lovely allegory of the process of sanctification, and Spenser very capably describes the foes that every believer encounters on that journey: pride, despair, lust, deception, hypocrisy and more. His crowning moment and the great trial that purifies him the most is his battle with the dragon, which is quite epic all by itself. He thereby wins the hand of the fair maiden Una, and thus concludes his story.
While it can be difficult to look past the archaic language, this story is perfectly relevant for modern readers, not only because it heavily influenced many of the authors we know and love, C S Lewis most especially. What Redcross experiences metaphorically, we all experience materially. We face the same giants and monsters he did. In particular, the Canto where he meets up with Despair felt startlingly modern to me, unfamiliar patterns of speech notwithstanding. That Canto was gold right there, the truth within it just as relevant and vital today as it was several hundred years ago.
shaunnow38's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
catrink's review
3.0
I've finished the first book of the Faerie Queene, but there is much more to come. I know I won't get back to it until after the new year so this seems a way to mark my progress in this wonderful journey. I'm a bit surprised that no movie has been attempted, at least that I'm aware of. Considering some of the wild attempts over the years to film other allegories, but to be fair, this one is quite long. Well worth the effort however, there is something about the language that just draws you right in the midst of it.
maenad_wordsmith's review
I first read this book as a community college student, reread it as undergrad at Antioch College, and read it again as a TA for a couple classes at U.C. Berkeley.
annekestoryteller's review against another edition
5.0
A great, masterful poem… even if it is a bit unwieldy at times. Spenser’s literary genius is perhaps one of the finest of all time; he fashioned his epic with adept confidence. While sometimes his themes and theological subjects are too lofty to be done justice by any poetic power, I cannot help appreciating Spenser’s ambitious attempt. I was entertained from start to finish. The Legend of the Knight of the Red Crosse definitely left me wanting to read the next six books of The Faerie Queen.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
This is actually a great story, even with all the morality and religious undertones, it is really well written, and I am really happy I had to read this for class. Will definitely check out more of the Fairie Quene later!
The style is amazing, how can someone write a long story in poem form, with the stanzas always the same, with both end-rhyme and alliteration? And it is also really good to see where some inspiration for contemporary books must have come from.
The style is amazing, how can someone write a long story in poem form, with the stanzas always the same, with both end-rhyme and alliteration? And it is also really good to see where some inspiration for contemporary books must have come from.