Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Creative Writing Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

English Language and Literature

St. Norbert College

German Romantic and Other Influences

Chapter 20

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Creative Writing

Phantastes Chapter 20: The Faithful Shepherdess, John Fletcher Dec 1608

Phantastes Chapter 20: The Faithful Shepherdess, John Fletcher

German Romantic and Other Influences

John Fletcher (1579-1625) was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and followed him as main playwright for the King’s Men. The Faithful Shepherdess (produced in 1608, probably published in 1609) is also important for Fletcher’s definition of tragicomedy, which highlights the importance of near-death to the genre.


Phantastes Chapter 20: The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser Dec 1589

Phantastes Chapter 20: The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser

German Romantic and Other Influences

Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), most famous for The Faerie Queene (1590; 1596), is a key influence on MacDonald generally and on Phantastes in particular. John Docherty writes that “MacDonald bases his upon the figure Phantastes living the forebrain of the ‘House of Alma' (the human body) in book 2 of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene” (“Sources of Phantastes,” North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies, vol. 25, 2005, pages 16-28).