"The common labyrinth of love":he nature and purpose of sexual desire in Edmund Spenser's the Shepheardes Calender.

Abstract

The focus of this thesis is the exploration of the nature and purpose of sexual desire in Edmund Spenser's The Shepheardes Calender. The primary assumption is that sexual desire is the driving force in the lives of Spenser's shepherds and in the pastoral itself. The exploration focuses on the unifying effect sexuality has on an individual and on society. Erotic desire is seen as a prism through which Spenser's shepherds view the socio-political and religious constructs. The study also focuses on the relationship between erotic desire and poetry and tries to demonstrate that love is not an impediment to poetry, but the driving force behind it. This idea is explored in the life of Colin Clout, the most prominent shepherd in the Calender, who manages to turn his initially distractive and painful temporal experience with unrequited love into transcendent, desire-inspired poetry. Finally, the thesis explores the inter-textuality between the pastoral Calender and Spenser's epic work, The Faerie Queene, and offers an interpretation that suggests a sense of closure for both works.