Idylls of the King

By Alfred Lord Tennyson

The timeless legend of King Arthur retold in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s scintillating poetry.
 
Tennyson brings to the page his own unique take on many of the classic Arthurian tales, including Lancelots marriage to Elaine and his affair with Queen Guinevere, and the quest for the Holy Grail. The saga is bookended by the story of Arthur – his ascent to the throne, and the fall of Camelot.
 
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781551999159

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) was a British poet. Born into a middle-class family in Somersby, England, Tennyson began writing poems with his brothers as a teenager. In 1827, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, joining a secret society known as the Cambridge Apostles and publishing his first book of poems, a collection of juvenile verse written by Tennyson and his brother Charles. He was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal in 1829 for his poem “Timbuktu” and, in 1830, published Poems Chiefly Lyrical, his debut individual collection. Following the death of his father in 1831, Tennyson withdrew from Cambridge to care for his family. His second volume of poems, The Lady of Shalott (1833), was a critical and commercial failure that put his career on hold for the next decade. That same year, Tennyson’s friend Arthur Hallam died from a stroke while on holiday in Vienna, an event that shook the young poet and formed the inspiration for his masterpiece, In Memoriam A.H.H. (1850). The poem, a long sequence of elegiac lyrics exploring themes of loss and mourning, helped secure Tennyson the position of Poet Laureate, to which he was appointed in 1850 following the death of William Wordsworth. Tennyson would hold the position until the end of his life, making his the longest tenure in British history. With most of his best work behind him, Tennyson continued to write and publish poems, many of which adhered to the requirements of his position by focusing on political and historical themes relevant to the British royal family and peerage. An important bridge between Romanticism and the Pre-Raphaelites, Tennyson remains one of Britain’s most popular and influential poets.

Reviews for Idylls of the King

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Victorian era take on the Arthurian legends in poetic form. The language is archaic even for Victorian times, and it feels forced into the poetic structure. The effort required may put off many readers.

[drewandlori · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful 19th Century epic poem about the rise and fall of King Arthur. Highly recommended

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is some of the most beautiful Arthurian Lit. I know of. If you enjoy reading of Arthur or the knights, it's a must read, and one that you can read in stages. It isn't light reading at most points, particularly for someone not fully accustomed to reading long poems, but it is well worth the while. The language and the characters are pure Tennyson, beautiful, and probably a great deal smoother than any original knight. If you're looking for the stories and the sentiments of the round table, and not necessarily gore or realism, this book is a good choice.

[keylawk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tennyson, unhappy in school, early recognized a beauty and significance in epic poetry, reciting Pope's Homer's 'Iliad' at the age of nine, improvising a la Walter Scott by ten, and composing his own epic by the age of twelve, largely in his father's excellent library.[8] The Arthurian romances made a deep impression. [33] By the age of 24, Tennyson began the work of poetrifying the drama of King Arthur, although it took many years --decades-- of preparation. There are four character studies of women, comprising four "Idylls" of the King (!): Elaine, tender and innocent, in contrast with Vivien, crafty and wicked. Enid, the faithful wife, in contrast with Guinevere, who strays. But the work goes far beyond character, into an epic surrounding the great figure of Arthur himself, warring in some way between sense and spirit, struggling with his own nature against his own ideals. Tennyson intended this allegory in the tale: "New-old, and shadowing Sense at war with Soul/...one touched by the adulterous finger of a time/ That hover'd between war and wantonness,/ And crownings and dethronements." [37] With quite helpful Notes, and a Glossary which cites back to the text where the defined word is used.

[lapomelzi-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the BBC3 audio production of this book and it was AMAZING. Only 4 stars, because of the inane catholic moralizing of Arthur at the very end. Everything else was just amazing.

[rolandallnach · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A venture of epic poetry, this is Alfred Lord Tennyson's take on the Arthurian legends. An incredible read in its own right, when taken in relation to Malory, Tennyson's work highlights the passion, tragedy, and Romanticism that sometimes was left at a simmer in Malory's work. Tennyson's work is more 'fantastic' than Malory's, and his descriptions of Camelot are as awe inspiring for the reader as they are for the characters he follows. For those familiar with Malory, Tennyson does not parallel the tales Malory depicts but rather has his own interpretations to suit his goal in describing the tragic emotional arc of the fall of Camelot. Though I would not consider myself an expert in poetry, I have read quite a few epic pieces, and this is a monumental work with a humanisitic focus, anchoring its place among the timeless classics, such as Homer's 'Illiad'. Whether you are a fan of Malory, or Arthurian legend in general, this should be part of your collection.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised by some of the stories included in this poem about King Arthur and his knights. I found the language bogged me down in a few spots but it was mostly quite readable.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A major Victorian Poet tries to deal with some of the aspects of the Arthurian Corpus by poeticising them. There are good lines, but no great sympathy for the material as a whole. Arthur and his ideas are too totalitarian for the minds of Alfred's audience, and perhaps of Alfred himself. I think then of the legendary Arthur with his perfect personal leadership, and Alfred the king of Wessex, who was a systemizer. Tennyson should have turned his pen to Alfred, not Arthur, really.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This particular book is not an edition of Tennyson's work, Idylls of the King, as a whole. It's an abridged version, essentially, with selections from Tennyson's poetry contextualised by brief prose. The reason I have this edition is, of course, the illustrations included, those done by Gustave Doré. Many of them are really spectacular, capturing perfectly the mood of the pieces and scenes.

Tennyson's poetry is, of course, powerful and problematic, but I'll review that in itself another time.