The six original essays on Spenser's poetry contained in this volume were first presented at the Canadian colloquium. While there is a central concern with The Faerie Queene, the essays range widely through Spenser's works and treat many aspects of his poetic vision and aritistry: his comic vein and his melancholy, his learning and his realism, his grand designs and his richness of detail. In their variety and vivacity the essays amply demonstrate the powerful appeal that Spenser's poetry exerts today and the quality of response it elicits. -- Book Jacket.