"The Faire Queene" as an epic

In class, Doug mentioned that Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" is an epic, with each book being a different adventure completed by a different personified virtue. There are some interesting similarities and differences between the medieval epics we read and this one.

Unlike some of the medieval epics, there is no list of important geneology to give importance to the main character. Where stories like "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" both opened with historical context and the victories of predecessors, "The Faerie Queen" jumps right into the knight's story, without any big introduction. I thought this was interesting because it creates an independent sort of importance; this knight matters because of his own conquests and accomplishments, not an ancestor's. The focus is placed on his individual quest.

Another difference I am noticing so far is in the focus on battle. I don't want to make too broad of a generalization because this is the first epic we've read for this unit, but so far this is what I'm picking up. In this first Canto, the battle with the dragon/serpent is a somewhat minor part of the story. It takes up about two pages, a small fraction of the rest of the Canto. It seems that there is potential that the focus of the epic has changed. It is no longer just about the battle, but about the journeys surrounding it and battles of the wit and spirit. The story describes the characters being lost in the forest of Errour and then their interaction with the Archimago in seemingly more detail and focus than the battle with the dragon.

There may be some continuity in the value of faith being reconciled with violence from the medieval era to this one. In the description of the knight, he is said to be wearing "a bloudie Crosse" (782) on his chest. Not only does this bring a symbol of the unity of violence in the crucifixion with salvation, but it shows the knight's reliance on a higher power to succeed in his quest. He needs spiritual strength to succeed in his battles.

That's all I've got so far, but I'm interested to see how these themes play out in other things we read.