ENGL 61.05 The Faerie Queene: Speculative Fiction circa 1590

This course will read Edmund Spenser’s 16th century poem, The Faerie Queene, through the lens of the modern practices of speculative fiction, that is, fiction that explores or created alternative worlds. Despite the title of the poem, the queen never appears. Instead there are knights, ladies, magicians, mythic and fantastic beings, human-animal hybrids and robots (for starters) in a landscape that features a wide range of social relations and conditions. Shakespeare, Milton, James Joyce, Monty Python, Neil Gaiman, and Angela Carter are on the long list of the poem’s keen readers. In addition to The Faerie Queene, we’ll read short essays on speculative fiction and brief  extracts from 16th-18th century discussions of poetry as a way of writing and thinking.  Spenser’s language is deliberately archaic, but it is not difficult for modern readers. Experience with sixteenth century literature is not necessary.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:W

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Department-Specific Course Categories

Junior Colloquium: Course Group I