Presents a selection of important older literary criticism of selected works by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

On either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, That clothe the word and meet the sky; And thro' the field the road runs by To many-tower'd Camelot. --From The Lady of Shalott Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poems found inspiration in sources as diverse as Greek myths (Tithonius), Arthurian legends (Idylls of the King), Shakespeare (Mariana), and contemporary history (Charge of the Light Brigade). But his most famous and heartfelt work, In Memoriam, came from personal tragedy: the death of his close friend, Arthur Hallam. All these, and many other of his finest poems, are included in this superb collection.

Alfred Lord Tennyson, Queen Victoria's favorite poet, commanded a wider readership than any other of his time. His ascendancy was neither the triumph of pure genius nor an accident of history: he skillfully crafted his own career and his relationships with his audience. Fame and recognition came, lavishly and in abundance, but the hunger for more never left him. Resolving never to be anything except 'a poet', he wore his hair long, smoked incessantly, and sported a cloak and wide-brimmed Spanish hat.Tennyson ranged widely in his poetry, turning his interests in geology, evolution and Arthurian legend into verse, but much of his work relates to his personal life. The poet who wrote The Lady of Shalott and The Charge of the Light Brigade has become a permanent part of our culture. This enjoyable and thoughtful new biography shows him as a Romantic as well as a Victorian, exploring both the poems and the pressures of his era, and the personal relationships that made the man.

Tennyson s central poem is presented with an extensive introduction that provides background information on the poet and poem as well as an overview of In Memoriam s formal and thematic peculiarities, including Tennyson s use of the stanza and the poem s rhyme scheme."