12 books found
A century ago Tennyson had begun to be dismissed as a poet whose work embodied everything the modern world was looking to leave behind. He still seems to readers to embody the substance of the Victorian era more fully than any other poet—but nowadays that is counted in his favor. Critics continue to find layers of complexity in poems once thought simplistic—while appreciating with fresh ears Tennyson’s aural mastery. This new edition includes the two long poems In Memoriam and Maud: A Monodrama in their entirety, all the short poems for which Tennyson remains famous, and a generous selection of his lesser-known poetry, together with a concise introduction to the poet and his work, and substantial headnotes for In Memoriam, Maud, and Idylls of the King. Unlike other editions that provide a selection of Tennyson’s work, this one includes both marginal glosses of obscure or archaic words and phrases, and extensive annotations at the bottom of each page. Appendices of visual material are also included.
Represents Tennyson's work in many poetic forms over more than sixty years. The collection includes a substantial introduction, explanatory notes and bibliographical information.
Includes many letters to and from Tennyson and several contributions from various sources.
Published in 1850, In Memoriam won its author the Poet Laureateship of Britain and received widespread attention from critics and reviewers, as well as from ordinary readers. The poem was written in memory of Tennyson’s close friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly in 1833; it became an unofficial devotional manual for mourners, including Queen Victoria after the death of Prince Albert. The poem’s scope goes beyond individual grief, however, to the development and extinction of species, audaciously exploring history, evolution, and God’s relationship with humanity. Its formal beauty and emotional resonance make In Memoriam as compelling today as it was for nineteenth-century readers. Matthew Rowlinson’s introduction traces the poem’s composition history and places it in the context of Tennyson’s personal and intellectual development. Historical appendices include writings by Arthur Hallam, Victorian fiction on courtship and marriage, and materials on natural history and evolution.