Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1922.

Critics frequently, sometimes irresponsibly, label Spenser's poetry "emblematic" because of the appearance of either striking allegorical figures or moral assertions. This thesis establishes a standard for the application of the term "emblematic": first, by defining those elements which characterize emblems; second, by examining the emblem's cultural milieu; and third, by analyzing the "emblem patterns" that appear in The Faerie Queene. The study concludes that these "emblem patterns" transform the two essential elements of emblems to a literary treatment: the emblem engraving takes the form of a poetic description of allegorical figures or scenes; the didactic poem is condensed to an explicit moral statement. These "emblem patterns," then, can be regarded as reasonable criteria for labelling Spenser's poem "emblematic."