Spenserian

American  

[spen-seer-ee-uhn] / spɛnˈsɪər i ən /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of Spenser or his work.

---

noun

1. an imitator of Spenser.

2. Spenserian stanza.

3. verse in Spenserian stanzas.

Spenserian British  

/ spɛnˈsɪərɪən /

adjective

1. relating to, in the style of, or characteristic of Edmund Spenser, the English poet (?1552–99), or his poetry

---

noun

1. a student or imitator of Edmund Spenser

Etymology

Origin of Spenserian

First recorded in 1810–20; Spenser + -ian

Example Sentences

She has been painted as the defiant Gloriana of Spenserian epic, uniting the land in religion and peace, and the mercurial crone lusting after her younger courtiers.

From Economist • Apr. 28, 2016

He didn’t espouse modernism or the avant garde, favoring instead American vernacular styles, Spenserian scripts and a sort of hybrid modernism.

From Salon • Jun. 25, 2012

As with a Spenserian sonnet, there's a uniformity to the open letters to Lucas.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sotheby had invented a modified form of the Spenserian stanza riming abbaccddc instead of abcbbdbdd and keeping the final alexandrine.

From Life of John Keats His Life and Poetry, his Friends, Critics and After-fame by Colvin, Sidney

But the soul of melody lies hidden in the musician’s instrument; and the Spenserian stanza, to be felt, must find its echo in the ear of the reader.

From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac