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79372-01 - Research seminar: Spenser's Fairie Queene (4 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Ladina Bezzola Lambert (ladina.bezzola@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | "the generall end of all the booke is to fashion a gentleman or noble person in vertuous and gentle discipline" – thus Spenser’s famous declaration in his 'Letter to Raleigh' concerning 'The Fairie Queene', his ambitious English epic. What could this mean? What role did Spenser have in mind for the gentleman to be fashioned within the Protestant nation he envisioned at a time of fervent religious conflicts? How does his project connect to the ‘Queene’ in the title and, more intriguingly, to the real, formidable, Queen Elizabeth I? These are some of the questions we shall address in this seminar. Our main objective, however, shall be that of reading Spenser’s massive, but unfinished work firsthand, in an attempt to gain entrance to its strange and fascinating world in the company of Red Cross Knight, himself apparently a little bewildered by the adventures he meets in his second-hand armor. |
| Learning objectives | understanding and appreciating one of the two principal modern English epics in its wider literary and cultural contexts |
| Bibliography | Please get a paper copy of the following books: Main text: Edmund Spenser, 'The Fairie Queene', ed. A. C. Hamilton, 2nd ed., Routledge, 2007, ISBN: 978-1-4058-3281-6 (pbk.); [A more expensive, but more reader-friendly and less unwieldy alternative with good critical introductions and glossaries is Edmund Spenser, 'The Fairie Queene', in 6 volumes, various editors, Hackett 2006-2007: ISBN Bk. 1: 978—0-87220-807-0 – Bk. 2: 978-0872208476 – Bk. 3+4: 978-0-87220-855-1 – Bk. 5: 978-0-87220-801-8 – Bk.6: 978-0-87220-891-9. Make sure you get the paperback version (cost!)]. Critical introduction: Elizabeth Heale, 'The Fairie Queene: A Reader’s Guide', 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN: 978-0-5216-5468-5 Further primary and secondary reading will be provided on the ADAM workspace. |
| Comments | The course requires the will and stamina to read and engage with this fascinating but demanding work first-hand. No short cuts. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This course is for MA students. |
| Course application | Please register on services.unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 14.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 21.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 28.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 05.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 12.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 19.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 26.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 02.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 09.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 16.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 23.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 30.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 07.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Monday 14.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | regular attendance and active participation required, presentation in class |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |