LIT 251
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Faerie Queene, Book I, Cantos 7-12

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper on the second half of Book I of the Faerie Queene:

1. On the human level, what is happening?  How is the story of Redcrosse Knight and Una unfolding?  In what ways do they behave realistically on a psychological level?  How is their relationship typical of the early stages of love?  How does Spenser seem to view love?
2. On the moral level, what is happening?  If Redcrosse represents holiness, what is holiness?  Is Redcrosse just a pure, cut-out figure of holiness?  Does he have to learn to be holy?  If so, how does he learn?  How does Spenser seem to view holiness?  Is it something that we're born with?  Is it something that we have to struggle to achieve?  How hard is it to achieve?  What are the obstacles in the way?  What are the things that help along the way?  How does holiness (Redcrosse Knight) overcome pride (Orgoglio)?  How does holiness (Redcrosse Knight) overcome sin (the dragon)?  Does Spenser seem to have primarily a humanist or a Calvinist attitude toward virtue (or a combination of the two)?
3. In what way might the story of Redcrosse and Una work on the historical level?  Who or what might Orgoglio and Duessa represent?  What recent religious and social events for Spenser might be being imitated by having Redcrosse and Arthur struggle with Orgoglio and Duessa?  Who did England recently defeat in war?  What might the dragon represent?  Given what we said in class about Una's symbolism, what might escaping Orgoglio and battling a dragon for Una symbolize in England's recent history?

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