"Watching to banish Care": Sleep and Insomnia in Book 1 of The Faerie Queene

28 Pages·2017·0.21 MB·English

by  Benjamin Parris

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Benjamin Parris
Haverford College, [email protected]
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Benjamin Parris. ' "Watching to banish Care": Sleep and Insomnia in Book 1 of The Faerie Queene,' Modern
Philology 113 (2): 151-177.
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“Watching to banish Care”: Sleep and Insomnia in
Book 1 of The Faerie Queene
BENJAMIN PARRIS
Haverford College
Thisessayinvestigatestherolesofsleepandinsomniainbook1ofTheFaerie
Queene(1590).SleepistypicallyacoldanddeathlyaffairinEdmundSpen-
ser’s epic, and his allegory of holiness uses these common early modern
associations to suggest that somnolence is perilous for Redcrosse knight.
Thefallofsleepbringsaperiodofpsychosomaticdissolutionduringwhich
theselflosesitscapacitytothinkandtoactinawilledmanner.Itreduces
thehumantoastateofphysiologicalandspiritualprecariousness,lessthan
life yet more than death. As night arrives in the first canto of book 1, for
instance,ArchimagoleadsRedcrosse,Una,andtheDwarf“Vntotheirlod-
gings” and the companyis described as being “drownd in deadlysleepe,”
whereupon the sorcerer begins to work his “mighty charmes, to trouble
sleepyminds.”1Itwouldthereforeseemreasonabletoclaim,asbothNor-
thropFryeandDeborahShugerhave,thatthedarkliquidityofsleepvexes
Redcrosse as well as the author’s Reformed political theology in book 1.2
ForFrye,Spenser’spoemprojectsan“uneasypoliticalfeelingthattheprice
ofauthorityiseternalvigilance,”andsosleep“isoneofthethreedivisions
ofthelowestworld,theothertwobeingdeathandhell.”3Meanwhile,Shuger
aligns Redcrosse’s slumber with a patristic tradition that distrusts sleep’s
compromisingeffectsontheimpassionedhumansoul.Yetnoonehascon-
FortheirthoughtfulresponsestothisessayIthankElishaCohn,DrewDaniel,andRichard
Halpern.IamalsogratefultoRichardStrierandtomyreaderatModernPhilologyforinsightful
recommendations.
1.EdmundSpenser,TheFaerieQueene,ed.ThomasRoche(NewYork:Penguin,1987),1.1.36;
hereaftercitedparenthetically.
2.SeeDeborahShuger,“‘GumsofGlutinousHeat’andtheStreamofConsciousness:The
TheologyofMilton’sMaske,”Representations60(1997):1–21.
3.SeeNorthropFrye,FablesofIdentity:StudiesinPoeticMythology(NewYork:Harcourt,Brace,
&World,1963),73,andNorthropFrye’sNotebooksonRenaissanceLiterature,ed.MichaelDolzani,
vol.20ofCollectedWorksofNorthropFrye(UniversityofTorontoPress,2006),12,17–18,forrefer-
encestoSpenser’sirrationalfearofsleep.
Ó2015byTheUniversityofChicago.Allrightsreserved.0026-8232/2015/11302-0001$10.00
151
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152 MODERN PHILOLOGY
firmedorchallengedsuchclaimsthroughafocusedreadingofbothsleep
and sleeplessness in book 1, which requires us to unfold the overlapping
theological,ethicopolitical,andphysiologicalmeaningsoftheseevents.4
Contemporary readers might well expect Spenser to treat Redcrosse’s
sleepinexplicitlyPaulineterms,sincetheauthor’sprefatoryletterasserts
thatthehero’sarmsaremodeledonthe“armorofaChristianmanspeci-
fiedbySaintPaul”inhis epistleto theEphesians.5Butas DarylGlesshas
pointedout,this lettertoRaleighwaseitheromittedfrom orinconspicu-
ously“buried”withinearlyeditionsofthepoembothduringandwellafter
Spenser’slifetime.6Itwasnotuntiltheeighteenthcenturythatreadersof
Spenser’sepicwouldhaveencounteredhisexplicitreferencetothearmor
ofEphesiansinprefatoryform.Despitethisfact,IbelievethatRedcrosse’s
struggleswithsleepandsleeplessnessintheearlycantosservewellenough
toalertreadersatallfamiliarwiththeNewTestamenttothearmor’sPau-
linevalences.Paul’sepistlesconstantlyusesleeptofigurespiritualdanger,
carelessness,oralapseinvigilancethatcompromisesfaithandmakesbe-
lieversvulnerabletoassaultsbythedevil.7InRomans13,forinstance,Paul
describesthebodyoftheChristiancommunityexperiencinganawakening
andilluminationthatleavesbehindtheoldlifeofsin;inEphesians5,the
apostlelikewiseurgesChristiansto“hauenofellowshipwithyeunfruteful
workesofdarkenes...foritislightthatmakethallthingsmanifest.Where-
forehesaith,Awakethouthatslepest,&standupfromthedead,&Christ
shalgiuetheelight”(Eph.5:11–14).8ForPaul,sleepsymbolizesaspiritual
backsliding into darkness and sin, against which Christians must struggle
daily.Anditis this Paulineperspective thatI wouldliketosituateagainst
Spenser’simagesofsleepandsleeplessnessinbook1.
IarguethatRedcrosse’ssleepisatbestatemporaryandminorthreatto
hisspiritualfortitude—notnearlyascalamitousasreadershavepresumed
ittobe.Infact,Spensertreatsthehero’slackofsleepasagreaterthreatto
4.GarrettSullivanJr.arguesthatsleepchallengesthemoralphysiologyoftemperancepur-
suedbytheheroGuyoninbook2ofTheFaerieQueene.Sullivan’saccountfitswithFrye’sclaim
thatSpenser’sprotestantepicdisplaysanoverarchingdistrustofsleep,thoughitseemstome
worththinkingabouttherespectivevirtuesallegorizedbyRedcrossseandGuyonintermsoftheir
differingrelationshipstosleepandsleeplessness.SeeSullivan’spathbreakingSleep,Romance,and
HumanEmbodiment:VitalityfromSpensertoMilton(CambridgeUniversityPress,2012),chap.1.See
alsothediscussionofGuyon’ssleepbySullivanandMaryFloyd-Wilsonintheirintroductionto
EnvironmentandEmbodimentinEarlyModernEngland(London:PalgraveMacmillan,2007),1–13.
5.Spenser,FaerieQueene(ed.Roche),41.
6.DarrylGless,InterpretationandTheologyinSpenser(CambridgeUniversityPress,2004),48–
49.
7.Romans13,1Corinthians11,Ephesians5,and1Thessalonians5providePaulineimages
ofsleepthatfigurespirituallaxity,sin,backsliding,andlossoffaith.
8.BiblicalquotationsarefromTheGenevaBible:AFacsimileofthe1560Edition(Madison:Uni-
versityofWisconsinPress,1969).
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Benjamin Parris “Watching tobanish Care” 153
hiswell-beingandhisspiritualvirtuebecauseitderailsRedcrosse’sconcern
forhisuniqueobligationsasthepatronoftrueholiness.Ihopetoshowthat,
insofar as the hero’s insomnia constitutes a failure to attend to his basic
bodilyneedtosleep,itmarksanotableandparadoxicalaspectoftheearly
modern care of the self: to sleep means to relax one’s conscious guard
againsttheforcesofdarknessandsin,butnottosleepmeanstorefuseacru-
cialformofphysiologicalandspiritualrecoverythattemporarilyliftsthebur-
den of worldly cares. For Redcrosse in particular, insomnia represents an
undue pathological vigilance that blocks sleep’s unique form of uncon-
sciousself-care.SpenserthusbringsRedcrosse’sphysiologicalnecessityfor
sleepandforphenomenalself-renewalintodirectconflictwithastarkap-
proximation of Pauline ideals of unwavering spiritual vigilance and Chris-
tianmilitancy.ThepoemmoreoversuggeststhatRedcrosseembodiesholi-
nessevenwhenhesleeps,andthissituationresiststhePaulinelogicthatfor
Christiansthebody’smostessentialroleistoserveasanactiveinstrument
promotingGod’swill.9Spenser’sallegoryofholinesssuggests,contrasuch
paradigms, that human beings are radically unable to arise from spiritual
slumberandtoremainconstantlyvigilant.Ourbodiesaresimplyincapable
of wearing God’s holy armor at all times or of continually being armed
andreadytodowhattheLordrequiresofusinconfrontingthe“workesof
darkenes.”
ItisnosecretthatPaulhasbeeninvogueforShakespearecriticismand
for early modern literary studies in general, just as he is within a certain
strandofcontemporarycontinentalthought.Recentandvaluableworkby
ahostofcritics—includingJuliaLupton,GrahamHammill,KenJackson,
GregoryKneidel,CatherineWiniarski,andJonathanGilHarris—hascon-
sidered Paul’s multivalent influence on Renaissance writers in sanguine
terms.10ThisviewofPaul’slegacyequallycharacterizes(andinseveralin-
stances,flowsdirectlyfrom)therecuperativespiritofworkontheapostle
by Alain Badiou, Giorgio Agamben, Slavoj Zˇizˇek, and others.11 In various
9.Onthispoint,seeRobertH.Gundry,SomainBiblicalTheology(CambridgeUniversity
Press,1976),esp.195–97.
10.SeeJuliaReinhardLupton,Citizen-Saints:ShakespeareandPoliticalTheology(Universityof
ChicagoPress,2005);KenJackson,“‘Alltheworldtonothing’:RichardIII,Badiou,andPauline
Subjectivity,” Shakespeare 1 (2005): 29–52; Graham Hammill and Julia Reinhard Lupton,
“Sovereigns,Citizens,andSaints:PoliticalTheologyandRenaissanceLiterature,”andCather-
ineWiniarski,“Adultery,Idolatry,andtheSubjectofMonotheism,”bothinthespecialissueof
ReligionandLiterature38,no.3(2006):1–12,41–64;GregoryKneidel,RethinkingtheTurntoReli-
gioninEarlyModernEnglishLiterature:ThePoeticsofAllBelievers(Basingstoke:PalgraveMacmil-
lan,2008);JonathanGilHarris,UntimelyMattersintheTimeofShakespeare(Philadelphia:Univer-
sityofPennsylvaniaPress,2009).
11.Thesereflectionsarecommonlysaturatedwithasenseofoptimismregardingthehisto-
riesandfuturesofPaulinethought.PhilosophicalaccountsincludeGiorgioAgamben,The
TimeThatRemains:ACommentaryontheLettertotheRomans(StanfordUniversityPress,2005);
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154 MODERN PHILOLOGY
ways,earlymodernliterarystudieshaverevisitedthePaulinecorpus,using
hisreligiouspoeticsofmixedtemporalityandmixedbodiesasmixedcom-
munities to propose a more tolerant, politically ingenious, presciently
liberal,radical,orevenmulticulturalPaulwhoremainscruciallyrelevantto
the politics of our world. The discussion ahead, however, both shares
and charts Spenser’s skepticism toward a Pauline vision of the militant
Christian.Myargumentreadstheallegoricalthrustofbook1asacommen-
taryonsomelimitations totheapostle’s zealouspolitical-theologicalstan-
dards—especially as perceived and disseminated by Reformation theolo-
gianssuchasLutherandCalvin.12Certainly,Paul’swritingsprovideessential
elementsofReformedtheologyinearlymodernEngland,anditwouldbe
foolish to argue otherwise.13 But the story of Redcrosse knight and Una
nonethelesssuggeststhatPaulinetheologyandalsohistypologicalmodeof
allegoryarenotonlyinsufficientforunderstandingthetasksofholylifebut
caninfactthreatenitspursuit.
Ishallarguethatinlieuofthemilitantandindividualizingspiritualforti-
tudeadvocatedbyPaul’sexhortationsandmanyofhisReformationinheri-
tors, book 1 develops a paradigm of mutual care between Redcrosse and
Una.Throughtheirexperiencesofsleepandinsomnia,eachofthesechar-
actersissubjectedtomomentsofpsychosomaticperil,insufficiency,orlack
thatdemandtheother’scaringpresence.Spenser’sfigurationsofsleepand
insomniainbook1enfoldseveralmeaningsofcare,locatingtheselfamida
contradictory set of concerns for the material body, the passionate soul,
andthespiritalike.ForSpenser,careisanexistentialconditionofworry,
anxiety,andsorrowfulconstraintthatdetermineswakinglife.Inthissense,
careisaburdenthatcanenvelopandevenconsumetheself,andinsomnia
appearstoexacerbatethesedamagingeffects.ButSpenseralsoimpliesthat
AlainBadiou,SaintPaul:TheFoundationofUniversalism(StanfordUniversityPress,1997);Slavoj
Zˇizˇek,ThePuppetandtheDwarf(Cambridge,MA:MITPress,2003),andTheMonstrosityofChrist:
ParadoxorDialectic (Cambridge,MA:MITPress,2009).JuliaLuptonchartstheinfluenceof
theseandotheraccountsamongcriticsofearlymodernliteraturein“ThePaulineRenaissance:
AShakespeareanReassessment,”EuropeanLegacy15(2010):215–20.
12.MyunderstandingofPaulinetheologyderivesinpartfromNietzsche’sTheAntichristas
wellastheargumentofGillesDeleuzeandFannyDeleuzeintheiressay“NietzscheandSt.Paul,
LawrenceandJohnofPatmos,”inGillesDeleuze,EssaysCriticalandClinical,ed.DanSmith
(London:Verso,1998),36–52.MuchofthatessayelaboratesD.H.Lawrence’sreadingofthe
ApocalypseandhisinterestinanaristocraticimageofChrist,whosedoctrineoflovepreached
individualrefinementandcareoftheselfoveracollectivepolitical-theologicalorientation.
DeleuzecontrastsLawrence’snotionofChristwithPaul’sdoctrineofaninfiniteindebtedness
toGod,whichDeleuzecites(bywayofNietzsche)asthestructuringecclesiasticalprincipleof
Christianity.AsfarasIknow,thisessayhasnotyetbeenconsideredamongtherecentdiscus-
sionsofPaulinethoughtandearlymodernpoliticaltheology.
13.OnthecrucialrelationshipbetweenPaulinescriptureandtheclaims,ideologies,andin-
terpretivepracticesofEnglishreformers,seeJohnCoolidge,ThePaulineRenaissanceinEngland:
PuritanismandtheBible(Oxford:Clarendon,1970).
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Benjamin Parris “Watching tobanish Care” 155
carecanbeaholyvirtueandagoodthatalleviatessuchburdenswhenitis
suitablygiventoothers.14BothRedcrosseandUnaareboundtotheworld
andtoeachotherthroughthesedispositionaltendencies.Book1depicts
formsofcarethattheyextenduniquelytoeachother—assolicitude,con-
cern, and evenpassionate investment—whichenliventhe self andconsti-
tuteafulfillingbondbetweenthetwo.ButinthecaseofRedcrosseknight,
book 1 complicates this reciprocal wholeness of mutual care throughthe
urgencyofthehero’sneedtosleep,whichactsasanethicalcounterweight
andnecessarily,iftemporarily,removeshimfromtheconcernsofwaking
life. Redcrosse’s sleep is a private and unconscious form of self-care that
prepareshimtofacetheworldanew—toreturntothewakingcaresplaced
upon him by Una and by his allegorical duty to embody the virtue of
holiness.
I
IbeginwithabriefreadingofPaul’slinkbetweensleepandtheflesh,alink
whoseafterlifecanbetracedamongChristianwritersrespondingtoPaul’s
epistles, from Augustine to Luther and Calvin. My purpose is simply to
remind readers that, in Spenser’s world, biological health and concupis-
cencealikeweredeeplyentangledwiththeologicalandspiritualconcerns
and that the lax condition of a sleeping body seemed materially to fore-
ground such worries. For early modern Reformed theologies, Paul’s con-
ceptof“theflesh”iscrucialtotheseassociations.15Hisepistlesestablisha
figurallinkbetweensleepandsin,butmorebroadlythelinkbetweensleep
and any form of worldly “darkenes” that characterizes living outside of
Christian fellowship. He exhorts Jews, gentiles, and pagans alike to leave
behindsuchdarkenedperspectivesandtobejoined,throughthegraceof
thespirit,totheuniversalbodyofChrist.In2Thessalonians5:2,Paulwarns
thefaithfultobevigilant,because“thedayoftheLordshalcome,euenasa
thefe in the night.” He goes on to characterize believers as “children of
light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night nether of dar-
kenes.Thereforeletvsnotslepeasdoothers,butletvswatchandbesober”
(2 Thess. 5:5–6). And being vigilant, sober, and in the light is typically
14.WarrenT.ReichidentifiesthedualityofcuraintheancientRomanworldwith,onthe
onehand,Vergil’sdepictionof“vengefulCares”(ultricesCurae)attheentrancetotheunder-
worldinbook6oftheAeneidand,ontheother,Seneca’sclaimthat“inhumans,thegoodis
perfectedbycare(cura),”quotedinReich,“HistoryoftheNotionofCare,”inEncyclopediaof
Bioethics(NewYork:Macmillan,1995),319–31.
15.DiarmaidMacCulloch’sTheReformation(NewYork:Penguin,2005)illustratesthecen-
tralityofthePaulineepistles(especiallythelettertotheRomans)toAugustine’stheoryoforigi-
nalsin,whichwasinturnkeytonewideasabouthumandepravityandthefleshadvancedby
ReformationthinkerssuchasLuther,Calvin,Bucer,andMelancthon.Seeesp.106–15.
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156 MODERN PHILOLOGY
equatedwithwearingthearmoroffaiththatGodprovides,whichnotonly
keepsbelieversfromhaving“fellowshipwiththeunfrutefulworkesofdar-
kenes”butalsogirdsthefaithful“euentoreprouethem”(Eph.5:11).Like-
wise, Paul’s letter to the Romans describes God’s once-chosen people as
beingledawayfromGod’slovebecause“theirfoolishheartwasfullofdar-
kenes” (Rom. 1:21), and so he urges “it is now time that we shulde arise
from slepe: fornow is our saluationnerer, thenwhenwebeleuedit. The
nightispast,&thedayisathand:letusthereforecastawaytheworkesof
darkenes,andletvsputonthearmouroflight,Sothatwewalkehonestly,
asintheday:notinglotonie,anddronkennes,neitherinchamberingand
wantonness, nor in strife and enuying” (Rom. 13:10–13). Yet, however
indispensable the body is to Paul’s soteriology, these and other Pauline
images of sleep are not primarily concerned with its physiological effects.
Rather,Paulusessleeptofiguretheunduesuspensionofspiritualvigilance,
increased vulnerability to satanic temptation, or a refusal to awaken from
spiritualslumberandjointheChristiancommunity.Sleepservesasameta-
phorforthehumantendencytoliveoutsideoffaithand“fortheworld,”
whichasJohnA.T.Robinsonsuggests,entailsbeingruledbytheinclina-
tions of the flesh.16 Paul’s idea of “the flesh” is distinct from the body,
thoughbothbody(σωμα)andflesh(σάρχ)canbedisposedeitherforGod
or for the world. Robinson explains the key difference as follows: “While
σάρχstandsforman,inthesolidarityofcreation,inhisdistancefromGod,
σωμα stands for man, in the solidarity of creation, as made for God.”17
Though this Pauline perspective implies that the inevitability of spiritual
strugglemightbelikenedtotheinevitabilityofsleep,Paul’sepistlesnone-
thelessconstructanidealofconstant,vigilantfaiththatforgoesthe“workes
ofdarkenes”anddefiesspiritualslumber.
BothpatristicandearlymoderntheologiansdevelopPaul’sdoctrineof
thefleshandhisallegoricalfigurationsofsleeptosuggestthattheexperi-
enceofsleepactuallyaggravatesthefleshlybody,ortheconditionofdeprav-
itythatdefinesthefallenhumanbeing.Augustine,forinstance,extendsthe
Paulineassociationsofsleepwithspiritualperilandtemptationbyreading
thelettertotheRomansasacommentaryonthedividedwill.Helamentsin
theConfessions(ca.397CE),“FalsevisionspersuademeuntothatwhenIam
asleep,whichtruevisionscannotdowhenIamawake....Isnotthyhand
able,OGodAlmighty...toquenchthelasciviousmotionsofmysleep?”18
Because sleep temporarily suspends the conscious will, it renders the
embodiedselfmoresusceptibletosexualarousal.Inthissense,Augustine’s
16.JohnA.T.Robinson,TheBody:AStudyinPaulineTheology(Chicago:Allenson,1952),28.
17.Ibid.,30.
18.Augustine,Confessions,trans.WilliamWatt(Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress,
1912),10.30.
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Benjamin Parris “Watching tobanish Care” 157
writingsserveasanimportanthingebetweenPaul’spredominatelyfigural
useofsleepandearlymodernworriesovertheentangledspiritualandcor-
porealaspectsofsleep,whichalsodrawonclassicalPlatonicandAristotelian
discourses on moral physiology and ontology.19 During sleep, our carnal
naturetemporarilybutmorecompletelybindsthesleepingbody,andthe
loss or retraction of rational sense becomes a perfect conceit for the mis-
guided,fleshlylifegivenovertothewaysofthesinfulworld.
ThisisthelifethatChristiansmustfighttoescape.Theimagemoreor
lesscapturesAugustine’sviewofsleep,butitcorrelateswithbothLutheran
andCalvinistperspectivesaswell.AccordingtoMartinLuther’sreadingof
Paul’sdoctrineoftheflesh,thefleshdefinesourverybeing,soreasonand
sense, as well as body, soul, and spirit, are all subjected or “bound” to the
powerofcarnality.AsRichardStrierputsit,“Fleshlinessorcarnality,from
thispointofview,isfundamentallytheconditionofegotismorself-regard—
theconditionofbeing,asLutherwonderfullyputitinLatin,‘incurvatusin
se’(curvedinupononeself).Being‘spiritual,’fromthispointofview,would
beamatterofbeingturnedawayfromself-regard.”20FromsuchaLutheran
vantage,sleepmayrepresentthemostfleshlyofallbodilymixturesordispo-
sitions;notsomuchbecauseofsleep’sthickeningeffectontheearthysub-
stances of humoral embodiment but because it amplifies to an absolute
extreme the turning inward of the self that Luther chastises—a turning
inwardsocompletethatevenself-regardlosesthecapacitytoregardassuch.
Theutterfleshlinessanddepravityofsleepcanbeunderstood,intheologi-
cal and phenomenal terms, as a radical incapacity to look outward that
equates to a lack of care for others in the world and thus forthe spiritual
community—hencePaul’sexhortationsto“arisefromslepe”andleavethe
“workesofdarkenes”behind.Toreturntothewayofthefleshistofallback
intotheunholyvoidofspiritualandbodilysleep,becausethebodyisthekey
pathwayforthespiritofGodtoenterandinfusethefleshlyselfwithgrace.
IndiscussionsofsleepandvigilanceinthePaulineepistles,bothLuther
andCalvinextendPaul’sdistrustofspiritualslumber,buttheyarticulatethe
forceofhisconceitinmoreindividualizingandmoralisticterms.Luther’s
commentaryonRomansholdsthat“Scripturespeaksofsleepinatleasta
threefoldsense”;itcandenoteliteralbodilysleep,aswellasspiritualsleep
19.ConsiderSocrates’sdiscussionofsleepandtheunrulinessoftyrannicalpassionsinbook
9ofTheRepublicorAristotle’sclaiminbook1oftheNicomacheanEthicsthatsleepisastatein
whichvirtuecan“bepresentandyet...producenothinggood.”SeePlato,TheRepublic,trans.
R.E.Allen(NewHaven,CT:YaleUniversityPress),571a–572b;Aristotle,NicomacheanEthics,
trans.SarahBroadieandChristopherRowe(OxfordUniversityPress,2002),1099a1.
20.SeeRichardStrier,“AgainsttheRuleofReason:PraiseofPassionfromPetrarchto
LuthertoShakespearetoHerbert,”inReadingtheEarlyModernPassions:EssaysintheCulturalHis-
toryofEmotions,ed.GailKernPaster,KatherineRowe,andMaryFloyd-Wilson(Philadelphia:
UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress,2004),23–42.
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158 MODERN PHILOLOGY
thatiseitherholyorunholy,dependingontheconditionoffaith—“Whatis
nightfortheformer(thebeliever)isdayforthelatter(theunbeliever).What
theformerregardsasanawakening,thelatterlooksuponassleep,andvice
versa.”21 So spiritual slumber leads unbelievers both to live for the world
and to believe they are spiritually awake, despite actually being “asleep in
thelustsoftheflesh.”22Toguardagainsttheseproclivities,Lutherwrites,
“The Apostle desires that Christians should take care of their bodies in
such a way that no evil desires are nurtured thereby....We should not
destroythebody,butcrucifyitsvicesorevilpassions.”23ThusLuthercon-
cludeshisdiscussionofRomans13withaperceivedemphasisonthevigi-
lantcareoftheembodiedself,asdictatedbyPaul.
In his own commentaries on Romans 13, Jean Calvin likewise insists
uponapersonalresponsibilitytoremainvigilant:“Byawakeningoutofsleep,”
hewrites,Paul“meansthatwearetobearmedandreadytodowhatthe
Lordrequiresofus....Paulsays,armourratherthanworks,becauseweare
tofightintheserviceoftheLord.”24AndwithrespecttoPaul’simageofthe
armoroflightinEphesians6,Calvinwrites,“Tomakeusmorevigilant,he
tellsusthatwemustnotonlyengageinopenwarfare,butthatwehavea
craftyandinsidiousfoe,whoattacksussecretlyinambushes.”25BothLuther
andCalvinpresentuswithsubtleyetmeaningfulvariationsonacoretheme
ofPaulinetheology:Paul’sconceptofthebodyofChristradicallydeindivid-
uates the fallen bodies of believers, only to reconstitute them corporeally
and existentially as members of Christ’s body, which is the body of the
church infused with God’s spirit.26 Paul thus sets the terms for Luther’s
emphasisonturningoutwardtowardthefaithfulcommunityandthespiri-
tualgiftofgrace,justashedoesforCalvin’semphaticChristianmilitancy.
Butwhilethepolitical-theologicalroleofsleepinPaul’sepistlesisacknowl-
edged in kind by Luther and Calvin, both inflect Paul’s allegorical treat-
mentofsleepwithaheightenedsenseofpersonalobligationinobedience
toGodandtotheholycommunity.Theobligatoryturningoutwardofthe
selftoreceivethespiritbecomesaparadigmforgodlylivingandspiritual
battle, to which the darkened isolation of sleep stands in an antithetical
relation.
Spenserundoubtedlyrespondstothesetheologicalassociationsofsleep
withformsofmoralandspiritualcarelessness,buthisattentiontotheperils
21.MartinLuther,CommentaryonRomans,trans.J.TheodoreMuller(GrandRapids,MI:
KregelPublications,1976),188–89.
22.Ibid.,189.
23.Ibid.,192.
24.JeanCalvin,Commentaries,ed.DavidTorranceandThomasF.Torrance,11vols.(Grand
Rapids,MI:Eerdmans,1959–72),8:286–87.
25.Ibid.,11:217.
26.SeeRobinson,Body,81–83.
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Benjamin Parris “Watching tobanish Care” 159
of insomnia in book 1 also deserves some contextualization. Rather than
“waking”or“insomnia,”theproperoppositeofsleepinSpenser’sworldis
theterm“watch,”whichconnotesvigilantcareandwakefulnessalike.Infact,
itisnotuntilHenryCockeram’sTheEnglishdictionarie;or,Aninterpreterofhard
Englishwords(1623)thatwefindanEnglishversionoftheword“insomnia”
inprint. And Cockeram defines itas “watching, wantofpowerto sleepe,”
suggestingthatsleeplessnesscouldmarkaspecificlackorinability—a“want
ofpower”—onthepartoftheearlymodernself.27RebeccaTotarohasalso
shownthatduringtheperiod,“watch”evokesahistoryofcivilvigilanceand
protectioninmedievaltownsagainstthevulnerabilityoccasionedbynight-
fall,aswellasasenseofconstantspiritualcareforone’ssoul.28Justasearly
modern sleep paradoxically mortifies the self in order to restore it, watch
can reflect both the presence of vigilant care and a lack of the ability to
sleep.29WhileitseemsentirelyplausibletoreadRedcrosse’ssleeplessnessas
asignofspiritualfortitudealongsuchlines,Ishallargueinsteadthatthe
hero’sinsomniaconstitutesapathologicalversionofwatchandthatSpen-
serusesittoevokemisguidedformsofvigilantcare.ForRedcrosse,sleepis
atherapyofbodilyrecoveryandacrucialformofself-care;sleepoffershim
atemporaryrespitefromtheanguishofwakingcares.Redcrosse’srefusalto
sleepbecomesaharmfulandoverlyvigilantattunementofhissensingsoul.
II
If Spenser’s Protestant allegory is unabashedly Pauline or, as some have
claimed,evenCalvinistinitsleanings,itshouldnotbedifficulttofindan
ever-vigilant,unsleepingherowhoembodiesanidealofChristianholiness.
Infact,wecanfindonewitheaseinbook1.Onlythatfigureisn’tRedcrosse
knight—actually,itisnotapersonatall,butthelionthatfollowsandpro-
tects Unain Redcrosse’s absence. The lionis the onlycreature inbook 1
that,Spenserexplicitlytellsus,neversleeps;itguardsUnatirelesslyasthey
wanderthewild:“Stillwhensheslept,hekeptbothwatchandward,/And
whenshewakt,hewaiteddiligent,/Withhumbleseruicetoherwillpre-
pard”(1.3.9).WhenUnaandherprotectorseekshelterinAbessa’scabin,
thelionguardsherthroughthenight,keepingwatch“atherfeet”(1.3.15)
inanimagethatcontrastswithelementsoftheearliersceneofRedcrosse’s
slumber in Archimago’s cabin, during which a dream spirit placed itself
27.SeeOxfordEnglishDictionary,s.vv.“insomnia,”“sleepless,”http://www.oed.com/.
28.SeeRebeccaTotaro,“SecuringSleepinHamlet,”StudiesinEnglishLiterature,1500–1900
50(2010):407–26.
29.Onnocturnalwatchasaformofvigilantpoliticalcare,whichShakespeareusestoex-
posemonarchicalfantasiesof“perpetualwakefulness,”seeSullivan’sdiscussionoftheHenriad
inSleep,Romance,andHumanEmbodiment,chap.3.
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