Alfred Tennyson

One of the greatest English poets of all time, Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born in Lincolnshire in 1809, a rector's son. Educated at Louth[?] and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he published his first collection of poems in 1830. Although decried by critics as over-sentimental, his verse soon proved popular. One of his best-known poems, The Lady of Shallott, appeared in his second collection in 1833.

It was in 1850 that Tennyson reached the pinnacle of his career, being appointed Poet Laureate in succession to William Wordsworth and in the same year producing his masterpiece, In Memoriam, dedicated to a friend from his student days, Arthur Henry Hallam. In the same year, he married Emily Sellwood. Queen Victoria was an ardent admirer of Tennyson's work, and created him 1st Baron Tennyson. Much of his verse was based on classical or mythological themes. Idylls of the King (1859) takes its subject from Arthurian romance. Later in his career, he attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success even in his lifetime. He died in 1892.

Notable works

• The Charge of the Light Brigade[?]
• The Lady of Shallott[?]
• In Memoriam[?] A.H.H.
• "Ulysses"
• "Locksley Hall"
• "Crossing the Bar"
• "Tithonus"
• "The Lotos-Eaters"
• Idylls of the King
• Maud
• "The Epic