Comic Spenser explains how the deep-rooted cultural bias against humour has skewed interpretation of The Faerie Queene since its first publication. As well as bringing a comic perspective to new areas of the poem, this study explores profound connections between humour, faith, and allegory.

Victoria Coldham-Fussell is a freelance writer and independent scholar

List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1 Spencer and the comic Renaissance
Chapter 2 Humour and Heroism
Chapter 3 Spenser's Bawdy; Or, Red Crosse's Problem with Desire
Chapter 4 Laughing at Love: FQ III-IV
Chapter 5 Parody and Panegyric
Epilogue Humour and Allegory
Bibliography