Book description
'Tennyson', wrote T. S. Eliot, 'has the finest ear of any English poet
since Milton,' and his verse remains unrivalled in its combination of
verbal richness, emotional depth and intellectual engagement. Tennyson
drew on classical and medieval legends in poems like 'The Lotos-Eaters'
(1832) and 'The Lady of Shalott' (1832) to explore the spiritual
tensions of the nineteenth century. In one of the great works of his
maturity, 'In Memoriam' (1850) - written after the loss of his dearest
friend - Tennyson vividly negotiated contemporary scepticism and the
modern sciences of geology and evolution. Similar ground is covered in a
dramatically darker mood in 'Maud' (1855), a poignant account of
psychological disintegration.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892) was created Poet Laureate in
1850, and obtained a peerage in 1883. He was the leading poet of his generation.
Aidan Day is Professor of Nineteenth-Century and Contemporary
Literature at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of a
number of articles on Tennyson and has written on Browning and Romanticism.
