The Faerie Queene as Children's Literature
Victorian and Edwardian Retellings in Words and Pictures
Velma Bourgeois Richmond author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:McFarland & Co Inc
Published:11th Jul '16
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Edmund Spenser's vast epic poem The Faerie Queene is the most challenging masterpiece in early modern literature and is praised as the work most representative of the Elizabethan age. In it he fused traditions of medieval romance and classical epic, his religious and political allegory creating a Protestant alternative to the Catholic romances rejected by humanists and Puritans. The poem was later made over as children's literature, retold in lavish volumes and schoolbooks and appreciated in pedagogical studies and literary histories.
Distinguished writers for children simplified the stories and noted artists illustrated them. Children were less encouraged to consider the allegory than to be inspired to the moral virtues. This book studies The Faerie Queene's many adaptations for a young audience in order to provide a richer understanding of both the original and adapted texts.
“Richmond’s discussion of the changing genre of medieval romance in post–Reformation England is worth the read, and her insights in this area are indispensible to the scholarly conversation”—Children's Literature Association Quarterly
“The topic of Velma Bourgeois Richmond’s The Faerie Queene as Children’s Literature is fascinating…a valuable reference book for anyone interested in trends in publishing and illustration, in Victorian and Edwardian children’s literature… I am glad that such a book exists.”—Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching
“In her well-researched book, Richmond provides an informative look into Victorian and Edwardian adaptations of The Faerie Queene.… Especially interesting are the author's observations on the adaptations…made in the last 50 years.”—Journal of Research in Children's Literature and Culture
ISBN: 9781476666174
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 14mm
Weight: 386g
284 pages