Alfred, Lord Tennyson was a more complex writer than his status as Queen Victoriaâ s favorite poet might suggest. Though capable of rendering rapture and delight in the most exquisite verse, in another mode Tennyson is brother in spirit to Poe and Baudelaire, the author of dark, passionate reveries. And though he treasured poetic tradition, his work nevertheless engaged directly with the great issues of his time, from industrialization and the crisis of faith to scientific progress and womenâs rights. A master of the short, intense lyric, he can also be sardonic, humorous, voluptuous, earthy, and satirical.
This collection includes, of course, such famous poems as âThe Lady of Shalottâ and âThe Charge of the Light Brigade.â There are extracts from all the major masterpiecesââIdylls of the King,â âThe Princess,â âIn Memoriamââand several complete long poems, such as âUlyssesâ and âDemeter and Persephone,â that demonstrate his narrative grace. Finally, there are many of the short lyrical poems, such as âCome into the Garden, Maudâ and âBreak, Break, Break,â for which he is justly celebrated.