First published 1842
This collection presents Alfred Lord Tennyson's poetry across nearly sixty years of writing during the Victorian era. The volume includes complete works like Maud, which tells of a doomed romance, and In Memoriam, Tennyson's tribute to his close friend Arthur Hallam. Readers will find excerpts from Idylls of the King alongside full versions of Arthurian poems including The Lady of Shalot and Morte d'Arthur. Tennyson responds to his times in pieces like Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington, written in his official capacity as Poet Laureate, and the patriotic Charge of the Light Brigade. The selection also features Locksley Hall, which envisions a utopian future, and the late poem Crossing the Bar, where Tennyson reflects on death. Christopher Ricks provides editorial guidance with an introduction examining Tennyson's life, his friendship with Hallam, and his revision process. The edition includes chronology, reading suggestions, and explanatory notes.
Genres: classic-literature, british-literature, poetry, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: United Kingdom
Period: Victorian Era
384 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics