Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-kwt9d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-14T21:06:41.922Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Mutability Cantos and the Succession

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Mary K. Woodworth*
Affiliation:
Bryn Mawr College

Extract

Possibly none of the “dark conceits” woven into the fabric of Spenser's allegory appear so impenetrable to modern eyes as the topical allusions. They were obscure in the sixteenth century, but served in consequence to catch immediate attention and interest. Today, when clues are difficult to recognize, when modern readers lack the easy familiarity with everyday events and personalities which Spenser took for granted in his public, much of the topical meaning of the Faerie Queene has been lost. Occasionally, however, some of the allusions are recognized and the range of meaning in the poem is thereby extended. It has been observed recently that the Mutability cantos may refer to the problem of the succession. If a fairly convincing case could be made for this suggestion, it would be possible to appreciate anew how Spenser delighted his readers by adroit reference to topics forbidden in open debate. The following discussion is offered not as proof, but rather as a suggestion with enough likelihood to call for consideration.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1944

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable