The Faerie Queen is growing on me—or I am growing into it. More and more frequently my mind is wrestled into the dim loveliness of Spenser’s world. I feel my thoughts tuned to its archaic cadence, its ordered beauty, its “actual avenging virtue.” This is not a passive or a tranquil world. But it is beautiful.
Asides
A Daughter Called Gloriana
I recently dreamed I had a daughter called Gloriana. That is the only time in my memory that I’ve dreamed the name of a future family member. Now I’m seriously considering the Faerie Queen’s appellation for my offspring.