Temperate Art in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Temperate Art in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene

Name: Elizabeth Norton
Major: English and Communication
Hometown: Madison, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: SURE
Funding: SURE

Abstract

Edmund Spenser uses his 1590 allegorical epic poem, The Faerie Queene to delineate his theory on proper human behavior. In The Faerie Queene, Spenser explores six principal virtues while also expanding on issues associated with women, sexuality, grace, nature, and the focus of this project, art. Art has an abundant presence in The Faerie Queene and appears in a plethora of diverse moral situations, often leading scholars to ponder its allegorical significance in the epic. During my SURE project, I endeavored to uncover a consistent theory of art throughout The Faerie Queene. In the course of my research, I read the 35,000 lines of The Faerie Queene and completed a literature review of a selection of Spenserian criticism. Additionally, I studied first editions of The Faerie Queene at The Newberry Library in Chicago as well as the Art Institute of Chicago’s Medieval and Renaissance art collection.

Through my research, I have discovered that temperance reigns supreme in The Faerie Queene. I argue that a unique combination of classical and Christian temperance governs Spenser’s theory of art in The Faerie Queene. To Spenser, art should embody temperance in both content and intent. Art should be beautiful but not tempting and it must acknowledge both the good and bad of the world and somehow create harmony through that concession. I am currently expanding on these thoughts as I work on my senior thesis and hope to gain helpful insight at the Celebration of Scholars.

Poster file