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"Speaches Seeming Fitt": Rhetoric and Courtesy in the Faerie Queene

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Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Dissertations Department of English 5-11-2015 "Speaches Seeming Fitt": Rhetoric and Courtesy in The Faerie Queene Michelle L. Golden Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss Recommended Citation Golden, Michelle L., ""Speaches Seeming Fitt": Rhetoric and Courtesy in The Faerie Queene." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss/133 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “SPEACHES SEEMING FITT”: RHETORIC AND COURTESY IN THE FAERIE QUEENE by MICHELLE GOLDEN Under the Direction of Paul J. Voss ABSTRACT The practice of courtesy was of the utmost importance in Renaissance England; courtesy was tied to social standing, virtue, and civility. Spenser joins in a rich tradition of courtesy literature by including the Book of Courtesy in The Faerie Queene. His presentation of courtesy goes far beyond the limited discussion of the concept by his predecessors and peers; instead of limiting his depiction of courtesy to “courteous” behavior, Spenser includes every aspect of courtesy, including courteous and completely discourteous behavior and effective and ineffective expressions of courtliness. Spenser’s courtesy involves layers of complexity that exist in various social spheres throughout The Faerie Queene. The wide-ranging nature of the poem enables Spenser to explore virtue in varied physical and allegorical contexts, thus allowing the reader to view courtesy in multiple contexts. Spenser’s conception of courtesy may be viewed in four discreet types of characters: moral courtiers, unrhetorical but inwardly courteous individuals, artful courtiers, and discourteous individuals. A close analysis of each type of courteous or discourteous character leads to a more nuanced and fuller understanding of Spenser’s portrayal of courtesy. This study reaches outside the Legend of Courtesy and views the virtue of courtesy throughout the entirety of The Faerie Queene. Focal characters include, but are not limited to, Arthur, Britomart, Florimell, Redcrosse, Salvage Man, Satyrs, the Salvage Nation and Brigands, Duessa, Archimago, and Malecasta. An analysis of each of these widely differing characters contributes to the reader’s understanding of courtesy and the relationship between courtesy and rhetoric in Spenser’s work. INDEX WORDS: Spenser, Courtesy, The Faerie Queene, Calidore, Rhetoric, Renaissance. “SPEACHES SEEMING FITT”: RHETORIC AND COURTESY IN THE FAERIE QUEENE by MICHELLE GOLDEN A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2015 Copyright by Michelle Lynn Golden 2015 “SPEACHES SEEMING FITT”: RHETORIC AND COURTESY IN THE FAERIE QUEENE by MICHELLE GOLDEN Committee Chair: Paul J. Voss Committee: Beth Burmester Wayne Erickson Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2015 iv DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my son Edmund. Thank you for giving me perspective on what is truly important in life and inspiring me every day to see the world through new eyes. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, thank you to my all of my academic advisors and mentors, particularly Paul J. Voss and Wayne Erickson. I first met both professors as an undergraduate student in August 2005, and they have shaped my academic career and taught me how to think critically and write well. It has been a long journey but a good one. I cannot begin to express my love and indebtedness to my husband Jeff and my mom Susan for the many sacrifices they have made to help me fulfill my dream of earning a doctorate. I could not have done it without their time, energy, and support. Thank you, Jeff, for always being a voice of reason and providing a layman’s (always insightful) perspective on my work. I must also mention that my work time would not have been possible without the wonderful caregivers at Arrow in Athens, Georgia, who cared for my child so well that I was not distracted by worry while I was working. It has often been said that it takes a village to raise a child; this seems particularly true when the parent is a graduate student. Finally, I just have to acknowledge all of my friends and family who have maintained a loving community of encouragement throughout this process. I am sorry for anything I have neglected to provide in return, but I am ever-grateful for everything you have given me through the years. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... ix 1 CONTEXTS AND OVERVIEW ............................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Rhetoric in the Renaissance .............................................................................. 5 1.3 The Climb of Conduct ...................................................................................... 20 1.4 Conceptualizing Spenser’s Courtesy .............................................................. 26 1.5 Dissertation Directions ..................................................................................... 30 2 THE DISCOURTEOUS .......................................................................................... 32 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Hostile Hospitality ............................................................................................. 35 2.3 Crude and Brazen: Crudor and Briana .......................................................... 38 2.4 Turpitudinous Turpine ..................................................................................... 40 2.5 The Sinister Salvages and Bad Brigands ........................................................ 45 2.6 The Barking Blatant Beast ............................................................................... 50 3 THE ARTFUL .......................................................................................................... 57 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 57 3.2 Courtly Castiglione and Stealthy Sprezzatura ............................................... 59 3.3 Duplicitous Duessa ............................................................................................ 65 vii 3.4 Artful Archimago.............................................................................................. 72 3.5 The Beastly Bower and Malignant Malecasta ................................................ 77 3.6 Other Orators .................................................................................................... 86 3.7 Sneaky Spenser .................................................................................................. 89 4 THE UNRHETORICAL ......................................................................................... 91 4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 91 4.2 The Practice of Primitivism ............................................................................. 93 4.3 Primitive yet Polite ............................................................................................ 96 4.4 Wild yet Worldly ............................................................................................. 104 4.5 Rustic Redcrosse .............................................................................................. 112 4.6 Faire Fleeing Florimell.................................................................................... 119 5 THE COURTEOUS ............................................................................................... 128 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 128 5.2 Matching Manners with Morals .................................................................... 131 5.3 Nascent Nobility............................................................................................... 135 5.4 Courteous Kindness ........................................................................................ 143 5.5 Cultivation of Complete Courtesy ................................................................. 148 6 CALIDORE AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................... 152 6.1 Calidore the Courteous? ................................................................................. 152 6.2 Calidore the Courteous ................................................................................... 154 viii 6.3 Calidore the Unrhetorical ............................................................................... 156 6.4 Calidore the Artful .........................................................................................
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