Which of the following writers was one of the contemporaries of Edmund Spenser?

Correct option is B

Explanation:

Edmund Spenser (c. 1552–1599) was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem celebrating Queen Elizabeth I and the Tudor dynasty. He was a leading figure of the Elizabethan era and a contemporary of Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586), a renowned poet, courtier, and soldier. Sidney was a major literary influence of the time, known for works like Astrophel and Stella and The Defence of Poesy. Both Spenser and Sidney were part of the Elizabethan literary circle and contributed significantly to the development of English poetry.

Information Booster:
Elizabethan Age (1558–1603) – This was the period during which Spenser and Sidney flourished, marked by the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and a golden age of English literature.
Spenser’s The Faerie Queene – This allegorical epic poem was written to glorify Elizabeth I and remains one of the most important works of English Renaissance literature.
Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella – This sonnet sequence is one of the finest examples of Elizabethan poetry, showcasing Sidney’s literary artistry.
Sidney was an influential patron of literature, and Spenser dedicated his poem The Shepheardes Calender (1579) to him.
Both poets contributed to the refinement of English verse, with Spenser developing the "Spenserian stanza" and Sidney popularizing the sonnet form.
While Spenser died in 1599, Sidney had an even shorter life, dying from wounds sustained in battle in 1586.

Additional Knowledge:
P.B. Shelley – Shelley (1792–1822) was a Romantic poet, much later than Spenser’s time. His works include Ode to the West Wind and Prometheus Unbound.
Thomas Malory – Malory (c. 1415–1471) was a medieval writer known for Le Morte d'Arthur, a legendary account of King Arthur, long before Spenser’s era.
John Milton – Milton (1608–1674) was a 17th-century poet famous for Paradise Lost, writing in the later Stuart period, well after Spenser’s death.