The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene is an epic poem by the English poet Edmund Spenser, published in its final form in 1596. The poem follows two knights, Redcrosse and Britomart, as they struggle against various obstacles. The Faerie Queene is also an allegory in which each book demonstrates and promotes a certain virtue. Although Spenser had originally planned to write 24 books, only six books are known to have been completed. Fragments of a seventh book exist in what are called the Cantos of Mutabilitie.