Images of truth and falsehood in The Faerie Queene, with special reference to Spenser's treatment of the problem of deceptive appearance

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to explore Spenser's treatment of truth and falsehood - and the shifting territory between them - and, finally, to place this perspective within a total view of the poem. The thesis begins with a discussion of deceit in The Faerie Queene, focused on the figure of Malengin. Three aspects of this discussion are developed: the association of Spenser's deceit-imagery with the devil, with the Roman Catholic Church, and with sorcery. The second section moves on to discuss Spenser's habit of thinking in 'paired' images - true and false instances of the same thing - with special reference to the opposition between outward appearance and inward self, art and nature, and truth and falsehood applied to women. Next there is an analysis of the 'middle' territory between the opposites: the way many images in The Faerie Queene express uncertainty and moral ambivalence. This theme is treated from two angles; images of wandering, and images involving hallucinations. There follows a discussion of discernment, the indispensable quality in a world of confused appearances. In the fourth section, the insights gained from inside the poem are applied to some of the dilemmas facing the critic outside it, with particular reference to ambiguities, real or apparent, arising from the 'mixing' of the different levels of the literal meaning and its plurality of allegories. The concluding chapter summarizes the ideas set out in the thesis - which has been arranged in a thematic, not 'chronological' order - and relates these to the book-by-book structure of the poem. Finally, a plea is made to the effect that, for many readers, stress on the kind of images discussed here might prove a more effective 'way in' to the poem than the more schematic approach which regards Book I as the epitome of Spenser's art.