Product Description

Although Tennyson (1809-1892) has often been characterized as an austere, bearded patriarch and laureate of the Victorian age, his poems speak clearly to the imagination of the late 20th century. His mastery of rhyme, metre, imagery and mood communicate their dark, sensuous and sometimes morbid messages. Much given to melancholy and feelings of aching desolation, Tennyson's verse also carries clear messages of hope: 'Ring out the old, ring in the new', and 'Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20968 in Books
• Published on: 1994-07-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 688 pages

Customer Reviews

More than school memories
Pity that the book is laid out like a dull school text book. Why can't the classics be presented attractively. The boring presentation is probably why so many of my old classics ended up at jumble sales. Since I have been reintorduced to verse thanks to modern poets such as Laurence Phillips and Roger McGough, I have been thinking about the stuff we did at school. Picked up this new (if predictably boringly printed) edition in the sales and, thanks to the index, found my way to some old familiar friends. Lines almost forgotten rushed at me like old friends. The dramatic light brigade and arthur stuff is here, but better yet the shorter poems. Flow down cold rivulet to the sea has come to mind so many times over the years and I had forgotten it was Tennyson. To quote from my favourite page: O for the touch of a vanished hand and the sound of a voice that is still.

The sensuality of Tennyson
I studied Tennyson recently as part of my Alevel for English Literature; now already a fan of Tennyson, my admiration for such an outstanding poet reached an extremist level. His analysis of social superiority, class distinction and gender allocation is superb within 'Godiva'. An exploration into an elderly kings thirst for movement, to deny stillness and completely repress any link he has with humanity as he refers to them as 'a savage race' within the poem 'Ulysses' and an approach to death. 'Tithonus' is my favourite of the collection; a tragic tale of love at its most cruel between Tithonus and the goddess Aurora. The emotive language used to describe entrapment within immortality is unbearably beautiful. If you enjoy, as I do, a look at society, poems of great meaning and an exploration into the conflict of desire and morality this is for you.

Very Large Collection of Tennyson
This is a large and I think exhaustive anthology of the poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson. It includes all the work you would expect in a collection from Tennyson. I have to admit it took some getting through as there is a lot of poetry on show here (over 600 pages), having said that it covers over 50 years of the author's work.

Tennyson is a very imaginative if sometimes a bit morbid poet but once you get into it, it become very enjoyable and takes you into another world.