Spenserian
- adjective
- /spɛnˈsɪəriən/
- Literature
:
spenseriano
- They are only one line away from the scheme of the Spenserian stanza itself (they lack the final alexandrine).
- Spenserian stanza
Examples
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Spenserian and Christian equivalences of beastliness and sin prevail in the English literary tradition, and Grill or Gryllus becomes a byword for piggery.
Academic text (1997) -
The poet's latest work features a beautiful Spenserian style that echoes the themes of love and morality.
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Lady Ruth Berman, whose formal gardens at Castle Harmsworth replicated every flower mentioned in both the Shakespearean and Spenserian canons.
Fiction book (2001) -
This example of Byron's Spenserian stanza is typical in his suppression of the middle couplet and in his climactic use of the final hexameter.
Academic text (2003) -
Whether the Spenserian stanza was borrowed from Chaucer by adding an Alexandrine to a Monk's Tale stanza, or whether it was a direct adaptation of ottava rima, is immaterial.
Academic text (2003) -
In her essay, she analyzed the impact of Spenserian techniques on modern poetry.
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He drew inspiration from the Spenserian stanza to craft his own unique verses.
Compounds
- Literature
A 14-line poem in lines of ten beats with three four-line parts and a final rhymed pair
- Literature
A nine-line group in a poem with eight short lines, one longer final line, and rhyme abab bcbc c
Surface Forms
Morphology
Spenserian = Spenser (transparent) = Spenser + ian
Formed by attaching the productive adjectival suffix '-ian' to the proper name 'Spenser', yielding 'relating to Edmund Spenser or his works'.
Etymology
Spenserian comes from the name of the English poet Edmund Spenser, who wrote the richly detailed, old-fashioned poem 'The Faerie Queene'. So, calling a style Spenserian means it is 'like Spenser'—decorated and poetic.
