Commonplace Book @gwutopia-blog - Tumblr Blog

The Faerie Queene, Canto XII

Self-Assessment

My themes are an unintentional but unambiguous record of my time in The English Renaissance. My focus on form is clear, with tags for analytical and argumentative writing as well as deviations, rhyme, and syntax. I came into the class with an appreciation for paradox and duality that nearly every work we read permitted me to develop further. That development is reflected clearly in my frequent tags of paradox, duality, contrast, and good vs. evil, as well as all the separately tagged dualities of joy/bliss/hope/pain/death/sex. I especially appreciate the two references to paradise in my entries, neither of which I wrote about Paradise Lost. I spoke often in class to the apparition of Paradise in utopias and other Renaissance narratives and I’m glad to see that insight reflected in my tags.

The three papers I wrote this semester covered form, duality, paradox, emotion, and pain with special attention to rhyme, good vs. evil, and argumentative writing. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have written about what interests me, a gift not often given in the undergraduate setting. I am only a sophomore; this was my first upper-level English class (though I took American Drama in tandem this semester). My interests, honed as early as high school where I wrote sappy papers about love and obvious dualities in Life of Pi, have found a home in this class and the texts we read. I feel that I have become a more engaged and active reader and more thoughtful writer, but could not have done so had I not been permitted to focus and delight in what interests me.

According to my writer/reader biography, I wanted to write more creatively in shorter sentences. I’m proud of the papers (two finished, one in progress) I developed this semester and believe that they reflect some improvement. What I didn’t anticipate is that I would grow as a reader; as stated above, I now engage with texts instead of allowing them to engage me. This ability has already proved helpful in other classes, particularly in my American Drama class this semester. You can’t just read the dialogue to read a play -- the stage directions, asides, and set design often speak greater volumes to the narrative than the spoken words ever could. Through close reading, I have been able to unravel those mysteries. I am so thankful for that ability and so thankful that The English Renaissance fit into my schedule. I’m looking forward to finishing my final paper, which will be a new exercise in reining in my inclusions of research.

Index of Themes

Analytical Writing (6)

Argumentative Writing (6)

Bliss (10)

Contrast (2)

Death (5)

Deviations (7)

Duality (2,3,5)

Good vs. Evil (2)

Helplessness (5)

Hope (1)

Imprisonment (9)

Innuendo (10)

Intentional Ambiguity (3)

Joy (1)

Love (5)

Nature (8)

Pain (5)

Paradise (8,10)

Paradox (1,3,5,10)

Problems in Utopia (9)

Rhyme (7)

Sex (10)

Syntax (6)

**I forgot to add tags to Entry #4 at the time, so it is not reflected in the index. If I were to tag it, I would probably use #slavery #paradox #humannature

The Faerie Queene, Canto XI

The Faerie Queene, Canto X

Entry #10: The Convent of Pleasure

“...as there is not only room and place enough for Gardens, Orchards, Walks, Groves, Bowers, Arbors, Ponds, Fountains, Springs, and the like...”

For an establishment bent on separating men and women, the Convent of Pleasure is pretty damn sexualized.

First, and most obviously, it’s called “The Convent of Pleasure.” It supposedly preserves women from marriage, but contains within it the potential for pleasure -- sexual pleasure? Extraneous pleasure? What is pleasure, here? To meet it seems romantic/sexual, particularly since its leader enters into a romantic/sexual relationship while within the convent.

Second, it is a fortress that men attempt to penetrate. That’s an overt sexual image right there.

Third, there is an obvious parallel to Eden illustrated in the above quote. “Bower” is the word that stuck out to me, as it hearkens back to Adam and Eve’s bower of bliss. What goes on in these bowers? We have to ask...

I wasn't necessarily surprised by the sexual references embedded in the Convent, but did experience some confusion as to what the establishment was supposed to provide for its inhabitants. If Lady Happy intended her convent to be an escape from men and all their distractions, why is the convent so sexualized? If she intended for sexual pleasure to enumerate among the convent’s many pleasures, why does she describe it as a break from marriage and all its accompaniments? I’m interested to see where our discussion takes us tomorrow, as I can’t quite pinpoint the purpose of sexuality -- and in fact, the purpose of the convent itself -- in this reading. It’s interesting, though.

#paradox #sex #innuendo #bliss #paradise

The Faerie Queene, Canto IX

Entry #9: New Atlantis

“When the king had forbidden to all his people navigation into any part that was not under his crown, he made nevertheless this ordinance; That every twelve years there should be set forth out of his kingdom two ships, appointed to several voyages.”

Bacon’s utopia mirrors Thomas More’s in that living only somewhat free and easy. Citizens of Bensalem are confined to Bensalem, allowed to venture outside its borders only on annual voyages -- if they are chosen for the two voyages, that is. The purpose of these journeys is admirable, as the king utilizes them to expand Bensalem’s intellectual purview and update his subjects on the goings-on of the world. Yet they are still restrictive, as most citizens of the island will never see the outside world for themselves. They will only read books, use instruments, or look over patterns; they will expect the full picture of the world, but they will hardly receive it.

I found this paradoxical in light of the governor’s story, since he remarked upon how well-traveled and worldly the civilizations of old were, and how that contributed to their prosperity. Wouldn’t Bensalem imitate that model? Why would he bring it up, otherwise?

For utopias, Bensalem and Thomas More’s locale are quite restrictive.

#imprisonment #problems in utopia

The Faerie Queene, Canto VII

I tried to draw evil, adding in the conceptions of evil introduced in this canto. So far my tally of evil includes the three “sans” knights, the church robber, the seven-headed beast, Duessa, and the six other inhabitants of the House of Pride. I realize now that I forgot the giant, Archimago, and Error the dragon.

This is forcing me to think about what evil is in the Faerie Queene. Its shape, like the shapes of all the characters themselves, keeps shifting.

Entry #8: A Discourse and Discovery of Newfoundland

“And also flowers, as the red and white damask rose, with other kinds; which are most beautiful and delightful, both to the sight and smell.”

I expected the repetitive descriptions of Virginia’s climate, soil, and fruits born by the land (supposedly without work). Those appeared in all of the texts we read for today, building the settlers’ case for further exploration and settlement in the territory. What I did not expect was this inclusion, wherein Whitborne discusses the flowers abundant in the land. Flowers are not useful; they aid neither farming nor settlement, the ultimate goals of the explorers. They are merely beautiful, a fact which Whitborne includes in his defense of Virginia. They inspire delight and pleasure, much like the lush growth of Paradise.

This parallel between Virginia and Paradise was likely intentional; in fact, it is reflected in other discourses about the land. Paradise is a frame of reference that the British understand, thus it is the perfect characterization for a “new” world our writers are trying to convince them to explore. Asides like Whitborne’s study of the flowers surely accomplish that feat, ascribing beauty to Virginia that could attract a new set of British unconcerned with farming or the climate.

#nature #pleasure #Paradise

The Faerie Queene, Canto VII

I’m having trouble seeing who our religious hero/Christ figure is in this canto. I think it’s “supposed” to be Redcrosse, but we see him in chains in this canto. King Arthur is the current symbol of valiance and religious salvation -- and heroism.

Entry #7: Passionate Shepherd and Nymph’s Reply

“love...prove,” “roses...posies,” “move...love,” and “sing...morning” from The Passionate Shepherd and His Love by Christopher Marlowe

I might be more attuned to rhyme than most, since I just wrote a paper on minute deviations of rhyme scheme in Paradise Lost. However, I can’t imagine any reader would miss the problematic rhyme scheme of Christopher Marlowe’s The Passionate Shepherd and His Love.

All the rhymes cited above appear in the brief poem. None are exact rhymes, and two contain the word love -- the subject of the poem. It was curious to me that the supposed center of the poem appeared in rhymes that did not exactly follow its structure, and led me to think that there was a “problem” with Marlowe’s overall subject. Walter Raleigh confirmed that suspicion with Nymph’s Reply, explaining that the tidings of love Marlowe’s shepherd promises - clothes made of flowers, etc - wilt away with time and thus mean little. In other words, they mark a temporary love that the nymph refuses in favor of a more permanent attraction. I feel that rhyme reveals that dilemma, constructing love as a concept that does not quite fit within the frame of the poem.

#rhyme #deviations

The Faerie Queene, Canto VI

I’m really into mapping this crazy poem. It helps me understand the plot and see the randomness of it, with all the characters entering and leaving seemingly as they please.

Entry #6: The Defense of Poesy

“So that, since the excellencies of it may be so easily and so justly confirmed, and the low-creeping objections so soon trodden down - it not being an art of lies, but of true doctrine; not of effeminateness, but of notable stirring of courage; not of abusing man’s wit; not banished, but honored, by Plato - let us rather plant more laurels for to engarland the poets’ heads...”

The Defense of Poesy aptly reads like a strong analytical essay.

It begins with a strong introduction

It introduces each of its supporting arguments

It hearkens back to the central thesis with each point

It acknowledges and cleverly refutes counter-arguments

It concludes with an empowered and far-reaching admonition -- that all should read and support poetry

I took writing classes in middle school. I learned about the formulaic and thankfully bygone five-paragraph essay structure. I learned how to write a thesis, I learned how to pull quotes, and I learned how to force all my thoughts into a coherent 1-15 pages, depending on the assignment. I think.

It seems like Phillip (Mary) Sidney learned how, too. The above quote appears in the middle of the defense, but hearkens back to the introduction and central theme in an obvious and yet thoroughly necessary manner. It stuck out to me because it made sense -- it oriented me in this writing AND reminded me of my own writing, in which I always try to remind my reader of what they should be getting out of my work.

It is so well-crafted. Sidney summarizes the previous points succinctly, throws some useful adverbs - “low-creeping” attached to “objections” to thoroughly dispute those objections, “easily” attached to “confirmed” to prove it was not difficult to confirm Sidney’s analysis - and altogether cements his/her case. I enjoyed reading it and enjoyed the refresher on what good writing looks like.

#argumentative writing #analytical writing #syntax

The Faerie Queene, Canto V

I was entranced by the duality of dark and light that pervaded this canto. It begins with joy and light, with the entire House of Pride feasting and essentially partying before they watch the duel. Gradually, as the space of Hell is introduced and the dwarf uncovers the corpses in the basement of the House of Pride, the mood shifts to darkness. By the end, the canto is totally depressing. It was a rapid switch - one poorly represented in the above drawing.

Entry #5: Astrophil & Stella

“Fly, fly, my friends, I have my death wound; fly!”

Astrophil loves Stella; this much is clear. It is harder to tell whether he enjoys loving her, as the first sonnets of his sequence do little else besides remark upon his pain. In the above quote, he renders himself the victim of the hunt, calling the arrow that Cupid pierced him with a “death wound,” though it of course represents the onset of his love. In Astrophil and Stella, love is painful. Love equates with death, with suffering, and with slavery. Perhaps later sonnets will present a different picture of love, but for now, all we can do is sympathize for Astrophil -- wounded by love and unable to heal or enjoy his state.

#pain #paradox #love #death #duality #helplessness

The Faerie Queene, Canto IV

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Commonplace Book