Polliticke Courtier: Spenser's The Faerie Queene as a Rhetoric of JusticeAlthough pervasive in Spenser's art, the role of rhetoric has not been adequately addressed by critics. This disregard of the importance of rhetoric in The Faerie Queene, Dixon argues, obscures Spenser's larger rhetorical method and the structural dynamic it generates. Dixon identifies Britomart's evolution in Books III-V as the poem's centre and elucidates the rhetorical strategies that invest Spenser's "argument" for justice. Building on Kenneth Burke's conception of courtship in rhetoric as "the use of suasive devices for the transcending of social estrangement," Dixon interprets The Faerie Queene as a narrative of courtship in purpose as well as content, arguing that its tales of questing knights compose an artifact of suasive devices whereby Spenser courts a meeting of minds with his audience on the subject of justice. |
Contents
The Problematics | 17 |
Redcrosse as Courtier Narrative as Argument | 34 |
Britomart Ascendent and Venus Transcendent | 53 |
A Rhetoric of Marriage | 73 |
Ovids Cone and the Rhetoric of Law | 93 |
Radigund Britomart and the Rhetoric | 114 |
The Ethos | 135 |
Mount Acidale Arlo Hill and the Ethos of Pastoral | 161 |
Spenser on Arlo Hill | 184 |
Schematic of Classical Rhetoric and Glossary | 205 |
Bibliography | 233 |
Other editions - View all
Polliticke Courtier: Spenser's The Faerie Queene as a Rhetoric of Justice Michael F.N. Dixon No preview available - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
action allegoria allusive Amoret analogy anticipates apex appearance appropriate argues argument Arlo Hill Artegall Artegall's Arthur asserts assumes attributes audience Beast becomes Book Britomart Busirane Busirane's Calidore Cantos chastity coincident common complete concord consequence court courtesy courtier courtship critical Dame Nature decorum defines demonstrates depends Despaire dispositio dynamic dyslogistic effect elements Elizabeth Elizabethan elocutio enthymeme epic episode equally erotic estrangement ethical ethos eulogistic evidence exempla exemplum Faerie Queene figure fortune friendship function gives grace Hamilton hierarchical historical ideal identifies identity interpretation inventio Isis issue justice knight locus logical logos marriage mission moral motives Mutabilitie narrative narrator Nature pathos poet praise precedent present Press principles Proem proof prove provides quest Radigund reason reciprocal Redcrosse represents rhetorical sequence significance simply social Spenser's strategies structure suasive takes tion topoi transcendent ultimate term University Venus virtues vision
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | Polliticke Courtier: Spenser's The Faerie Queene as a Rhetoric of Justice |
| Author | Michael F. N. Dixon |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 1996 |
| ISBN | 0773514252, 9780773514256 |
| Length | 245 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |