I did think that we need to stop seeing high theory or historicism as exclusive of aesthetic and formal considerations. I’m not saying that we’re doing that here (I promise), but the way that this thread is developing, I see a binary taking shape. I regularly teach form—a lot of it—precisely because the intended intervention of a work can only be achieved through its formal execution. Aesthetics are influence in a world where politics are debated in poetic form. And politics are the arena in which the poem is shaped, and the form carries the impress of their pressure. 

I’m just throwing that out there because too often these discussions start to frame politics as antithetical to the aesthetic appreciation of poetry. But it seems to me that the opposite is true: that its beauty is forged in the fire of political exigencies. The interests that animate a work—public, private, ugly or distasteful—are  precisely what direct the aesthetic choices that form it. And, indeed, what make it beautiful, not pretty.

On Wed, May 29, 2019 at 4:52 PM Judith Owens <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Fellow Spenserians--for the first time ever, I am getting to teach an entire course (undergraduate, one-term long) on THE FAERIE QUEENE. To my abiding regret, i was not able to attend Spenser at K'zoo this year and so missed the panel devoted to teaching the FQ. I would love to hear from any or all of you about what has worked for you in your teaching!

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