Includes bibliographical references.

"This volume presents both a documentary survey of Spenser's poetic reputation and an introduction to the chief problems posed by his poetry to the modern reader. The earlier portion of the book is devoted to the landmarks of Spenser criticism and scholarship. Later parts deal with modern scholarly writings on Spenser with sections devoted to the poetic values of his age. The longest section is devoted to The Faerie Queene. Carefully chosen for their direct relevance to the question that modern readers are likely to ask when reading Spenser, the majority of the essays seek to explain the differences between Spenser's poetry and modern poetry by relating it to Renaissance literary culture. The Editor says in his introduction, "Perhaps no major English poet has received a more appreciate rereading in recent times than Edmund Spenser. For years relegated to the dusty shelf reserved for authors politely honored but seldom read, Spenser has been on of the chief beneficiaries of our renewed interest in an understanding of Renaissance art. With the discovery by modern readers of the intellectual complexity and artistic coherence of literary forms that once seemed merely naive and disordered, Spenser has emerged from the shadow of Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Donne to lay claim once again to his title as 'The Prince of Poets in his Tyme." -Publisher.

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