- 19
- Episodes
- 2026
- First episode
About A Year in Faerie Land
A year-long read-along of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. This isn’t just about reading a poem (for a poem it is); it’s about exploring a foundational text, understanding its profound influence, and perhaps most importantly, discovering the sheer joy of Spenser’s storytelling and poetic genius in good company. caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/s/a-year-in-faerie-land?utm_medium=podcast)
- Publisher
- Cait Murphy-Hurrell
- Category
- arts · education
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 3 Jan 2026
- Latest episode
- 10 Jun 2026
Latest episodes
19 episodes in the feed.
10 Jun 2026
Book 3, Cantos 1 - 4
Welcome back faery travellers! It has been a while back I am so excited to be back with you all for our read-along. Today we meet Britomart, our female knight and the knight of chastity. She is a key image of Elizabeth I, the body politic that can act like a king in conquest while also being a woman. Spenser is very deliberate in his use of images within the first cantos, not only aligning Britomart with Elizabeth I, but establishing her power and authority as the true monarch of Britain! Do let me know what your first impressions of Britomart are from these initial cantos. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
5 May 2026
Book 2, Cantos 9-12
My deepest apologies all for the delay in getting this voice to you all, and especially for the long listen as we wrap up Book 2. Our last few cantos take us from the House of Temperance through to the Bower of Bliss, from Arthur’s deep dive into British history, to the overlap of images of Circe and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We wrap up the book with Guyon’s capture of Acrasia and reveal in the foreign or othering images that Spenser utilises to create a distinct English identity. In May we will begin our journey of Chastity in Book 3. We are provided with many lustful images of wanton women in Book 2, so it is natural to transition to the emblem of chastity, the women knight Britomart, in Book 3. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
13 Apr 2026
Book 2, Canto 7 & 8
My sincere apologies for the delay in getting this update to you all, I have a feeling that as I approach confirmation in May, this might happen more often than not (take this as a warning now, lol). But today we accompany Guyon and Mammon, the God of money, through hell where Mammon attempts to tempt Guyon off the path of temperance with money, health and lust and with each attempt failing as Guyon says no. As the knight of temperance, this is good. He exhibits how daily temptations could lead even strongest man into the road of ruin. Guyon during this time is in a trance, being watched by a guardian angel when the Palmer finds him. The two brothers, Pyrochles and Cymochles, accompanied by Atin and Archimago, discover Guyon and rob him of his armour despite the Palmer’s protests when Arthur arrives. Arthur is distraught by the borther’s actions but Pyrochles has Arthur’s sword that Archimago stole for him - and in anger both the brother fight Arthur who defeats them with the help of the Palmer who gives Arthur Guyon’s sword. Once defeated, Guyon awakes from his trance and the Palmer tells him what has happened and he thanks Arthur for all his assistance. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
2 Apr 2026
Book 2, Canto 6
In much of the same way that Error foreshadowed the Dragon that Redcrosse would defeat, so too does Phaedrra foreshadow Acrasia and Guyon’s strength against temptation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
25 Mar 2026
Book 2, Canto 4 (remaining) & 5
I will be honest that I find the upcoming parade of knights that fight in the next couple of cantos rather dull - all the knights seem to do is fight each other, rather than going on their merry way to complete their quests. But, perhaps that is a personal opinion. The purpose of this parade of unworthy opponents is to highlight how Guyon, as the knight of temperance, has the strength of character appropriate for a knight and a representative of the faery court. This is no doubt lesson in duality, each of the knights that Guyon fights is his opposite in their actions, but it also tends to reflect how this behaviour should not be tolerated in the royal court and, I speculate, is Spenser’s attempt to win favour with Queen Elizabeth I. What I find interesting here, once again, is how the men act so irrationality and yet, the women are the ones still villainised, but this is the core of my research and so it would interest me. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
17 Mar 2026
Book 2, Canto 3 & 4 (up to stanza 15)
We get to meet Braggadachio, the braging, proud and very cowardly man, who has stolen Sir Guyon’s horse and threatened his squire to serve him. Braggadachio is meant to be that antithesis here. Guyon, as temperance, encounters a number of characters that are meant to be the opposite of what he is meant to represent to the readers. This includes Braggadachio, especially when he meets Belpheobe, one of the images that Spenser ascribes to Elizabeth I. An image of Diana, the huntress, Belpheobe is also an image of goodliness and is treated as a goddess by Trompart. He shows her the due respect that she deserves and what is expected from her court. Braggadachio does not suit this, he is not chivalrous in his actions and attempts to grab her. She rebuffs him and flees. We then join Guyon and the Palmer who encounter Furor (Fury) and Occasion, where a clear lesson is evident here: Occasion provides the words that prompt Fury into action. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
10 Mar 2026
Book 2, Canto 1 & 2
Welcome to our next book of The Faerie Queene, the book of temperance. Temperance is the virtue of moderation, acting rationally and with self-restraint. Throughout this book we will encounter instances where our knight, Sir Guyon, is exposed to extremes and it is in the extremes that his journey finds the median. We encounter some of our previous enemies here too, Archimago and Duessa, as well as some new enemies, namely Acrasia. Within this book you will find a number of maritime and voyage imagery and I am curious as to why you think that is? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
1 Mar 2026
Book 1, Final Cantos
Hello everyone and welcome to our final installment of Book 1! Thank you so much for those that have been listening along for the last two months. I hope you have enjoyed your own journey through the Book of Holiness! The battle with the dragon takes three days and Redcrosse Knight is tested! Note in particular the imagery that is repeated from Redcrosse’s battle with Errour. He is knocked back on the first and second days of the battle, being revived by the well of life and the tree of life, while Una watches on and prays. On the third day he is successful in defeating the Dragon by being swallowed and running his sword down the Dragon’s throat. The dragon falls. The castle is freed and Una’s mother and father welcome Redcrosse and Una. The castle rejoices and even though Duessa attempts to claim that Redcrosse is bound to her, Redcrosse and Una are married and the celebration is joyous! Redcrosse, however, does not forget his oath to the Faery Queene, whom he is bound to serve for six more years, and so he sets off in her service. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
23 Feb 2026
Book 1, Canto 10
During this canto we accompany Redcrosse as he enters the house of Holiness. He recovers here from his imprisonment and also embarks on the religious path to redemption. Filled with images and allegories, Canto 10 is rich in its imagery, I would love to know which image really stuck out to you This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
17 Feb 2026
Book 1, Canto 8 (second half) & Canto 9
Arthur has defeated the giant Orgoglio and Duessa is captured. Redcrosse is discovered in the depths of a dungeon, weak and frail and Arthur rescues him and returns him to Una. Una does not want to kill Duessa, but instead strips her naked for her real form to be perceived. Duessa is an old, bald, scaly hag in comparison to the purity of Una and this comparison is key for Redcrosse to see how he has been deceived. Arthur tells of how he fell in love wit the Queen of the Faeries and is avowed to find her. Una maintains faith that Arthur will find his love and Redcrosse and Arthur part as friends. We then encounter Sir Trevisan who is fleeing from Despair where his companion, Sir Terwin, has fallen victim to Despair. Redcrosse faces Despair who uses logic to convince Redcrosse to end his life but Una rescues him. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
11 Feb 2026
Book 1, Canto 7 & 8 (First Half)
Hello all and welcome to our February segment of our slow read of The Faerie Queene. For the first week we are looking at Canto 7 and the first half a canto 8 which shows Redcrosse being captured and held prisoner by the Giant, Orgoglio and Duessa. Una meets Arthur who fights and defeats Orgoglio to rescue Redcrosse and reunite him with Una. While the driving plot of these cantos is coming to resolution. Trials have been endured and suffering is at it’s pinnacle. Una is defeatist, Redcrosse is drained of his strength and we find our characters feeling like there is no pathway forward. Arthur is our shining light, a symbol of faith and princely power. He is the catalyst that we will see continues through The Faerie Queene. Things to think about here: what kind of lessons is the narrator imparting to us as readers? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
3 Feb 2026
Book 1, Canto 6
Probably has been my least favourite canto so far but I think its purpose it quite clear, Una’s embodiment of goodness and virtue can turn even the most beastly creature/man into someone good and virtuous. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
31 Jan 2026
The battle and the journey into the underworld
This canto fills like a bit of a plot-filler to eventually get Redcrosse to leave the House of Pride and confirm Duessa’s deceit. However I wonder about Duessa’s journey into the underworld and the parallels it draws to Dante’s Inferno. What do you all think about this canto? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
27 Jan 2026
Book 1, canto 4, stanzas 13-51
Hello all, I am so sorry to have fallen behind on our schedule but I have planned to provide 3 voice notes for cantos 4, 5 & 6 to catch up with our schedule and finish off January at the end of canto 6. Canto 4 is one of the richest cantos for imagery with the pageant of sins and the order of procession is a fascinating exhibit of Spenser’s skill in creating images with his language. * Lucifera (Pride): As queen and leader, she represents the root of all sins, derived from ‘Lucifer'.’ She sits on a “chariot high and gorgeous,” drawn by six animals, paying homage to Satan. * Idleness (Sloth): The first of Lucifera’s counsellors rides a slow-moving donkey. He is dressed in a monk’s habit, often sleepy, and carries a book of prayers, highlighting a mockery of religious devotion. * Gluttony: Described as a ‘deformed creature’ and ‘more like a monster, than a man,’ he rides a filthy swine. His stomach is bloated, and he eats excessively while others starve. * Lechery (Lust): Mounted on a goat, this sin is described as an ‘unseemely man’. Images of blackness and flith accompany him, yet he is often beloved by ladies, highlighting the deceptive nature of lust and the duality of lustful sin. * Avarice (Greed): Rides a camel loaded with gold and carries two iron coffers. The choice to ‘sell his soul’ for money is a fascinating concept, particularly relevant in today’s age. * Envy: Rides a wolf and chews on a poisonous toad. He is portrayed as eating his own heart because he cannot stand to see others prosper. * Wrath: The final, most violent counsellor rides a lion and brandishes a burning brand. He is covered in blood and eager for conflict. * The Driver (Satan): Behind the chariot, a figure representing Satan acts as the driver, indicating that these vices are all driven by the devil. This pageant is a ‘mirror’ scene designed to expose the knight to the falseness of the House of Pride. While Redcrosse does not fully engage with the parade, he is already tainted by staying there. The educational aspect is crucial here because we also see the duplicity of Duessa as Sans Ioy prepares to challenge Red Crosse in revenge for his brother. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
20 Jan 2026
Book 1, Canto 3 & 4 (up to stanza 12)
My deepest apologies for being late with the uploading of this voicenote, as penitence we have an extra long voice note for the whole of canto 3 and the beginning of canto 4. We join Una in canto 3 as she looks for Redcrosse when a lion happens upon her and becomes her protector and companion. Archimago, disguised as Redcrosse, captures Una and her squire is killed. We then switch back to Redcrosse and Duessa who come upon the House of Pride, a beautiful castle that is crubling due to poor foundations, and its queen, Lucifera, who has usurped the throne and rules the land illegitimately. In both of these cantos we are getting a sense of the political commentary that is underpinning the book of holiness. Redcrosse as an emblem of England was there and subtle but now we have the lion accompanying Una, the emblem of light and virtue, while the House of Pride is a governmental structure crumbling from poor foundations and a false leader. Spenser is known to make such political commentary and I would be interested in hearing what images you see in your readings that highlights what Spenser might be saying about the Tudor rule and the ever-present conflict between Protestantism and Catholics during this time? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
15 Jan 2026
Book 1, Canto 2, stanzas 26-45
Welcome back all! I hope you are enjoying these little snippets of reading. I have to say that it is really helping me to digest The Faerie Queene in a lovely way! We find ourselves with Redcrosse and Fidessa who are travelling together and have taken shelter under a set of trees. Redcrosse is creating a crown-type thing for Fidessa from the branches of the near by tree when a cry of pain draws him to the tree. We then encounter Fradubio, the man who has been transformed into a tree by a witch. The witch, we find out, is Fidessa who is actually Duessa! Duessa is a fascinating character as I have said before. We hear very little from her apart from her first pleading words to Redcrosse and I find her voice (or lack of) and the fact that her story is dictated by a man who spied on her and in her revenge she turned him into a tree with a very clever curse, a very interesting representation. Duessa’s image as duplicitous is evident but it is also interesting to analyse what her representations mean to a reader. This will be explored more as we get on with Book 1. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
11 Jan 2026
Book 1, Canto 2, Stanzas 1-25
Hello all, I hope you are loving this read-a-long as much as I am! We are now getting into the meat of the adventures of book 1. Our heroes have been divided, Redcrosse and Una go off on their own paths and Redcrosse is confronted with Sans foy and his lady, who we will discover is Fidessa (Duessa). As you read the language of the stanzas I hope you are sensing the beauty of the poetry in Spenser’s verse and alliteration and the way he creates imagery through the words. Imagine for a moment how these verses would have been read out to Elizabeth I’s court. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
7 Jan 2026
Book 1, Canto I, Stanzas 29-55
*I don’t know why I suddenly shifted to verses rather than stanzas Reading our second half of canto I where we met the hermit which is actually the magician/sorcerer Archimago. Archimago represents hypocrisy and calls on the spirits to deceive Redcrosse, doubting Una’s love for her and her virginity. Una is represented as a lustful woman which will ultimately drive Redcrosse away from her and achieve Archimago’s plans to separate the party. At this point, Redcrosse has left the path of holiness. He ‘wandered’ into Errour’s den to prove himself and now he has been taken in by Archimago. Interesting though is Spenser’s foreshadowing here. Redcrosse is easily deceived but why? What is Spenser attempting to show here? Remembering that Spenser’s intention her was to educate ‘noble persons’, why is he making Redcrosse diverge from the path and be deceived? I hope you are all enjoying this read as much as I am :) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
3 Jan 2026
Book 1, Canto I, Stanza 1-28
These are my initial thoughts as I read the first part of book 1. This book is all about ‘holiness’ and the central figure is Redcrosse Knight. His symbolism is a key element of Spenser’s intention which is to educate his readers. As readers, we are embarking on a journey of holiness alongside the characters and it is interesting to try and make light of what Spenser is trying to teach us here. A note here, there are a lot of images throughout The Faerie Queene that were ‘of their time’. Remember that Spenser would have been writing for a predominantly white, privileged, male readership. In reading The Faerie Queene, we should not condone this but rather be aware of the period in which Spenser was writing and who is his intended audience. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe (https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
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