The Faerie Queene Books 6 & 7

‘The Sixth Book of the Faerie Queene contayning the Legende of S, Calidore or of Cvrtesie.’ Apart from Books 1-6, the only surviving section of the Faerie Queene is a short isolated fragment known as the Mutabilitie Cantos (traditionally numbered Book 7, cantos 6-8); this fragment is also included in the present recording. Although the Faerie Queene was never completed, it continues to be one of the most beautiful and important works of literature ever written. Spenser wrote it as a paean to the Virgin Queen Elizabeth, and to the golden age which she had brought to England. Sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh and commended by the foremost literary minds of his day, Spenser’s book remains one of the crowning poetic achievements of the Elizabethan period.(Summary by Annise)