E 326K // Literature of the Middle Ages in Translation: Mysteries of the Grail

Tennyson

Alfred Lord Tennyson was one of the most famous and prolific Victorian poets. Born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England in 1809, he grew up always writing. At the age of 12, he wrote a 6,000 line epic poem for his father. When he grew older, he attended Trinity College in Cambridge, where he joined a secret society called the Cambridge Apostles. It was there where his love for writing developed and he met his two best friends. From the very beginning, his writing was praised. He was awarded the Chancellors Gold Medal for his poem Timbuktu.

In 1827, he and his older brother Charles published a collection of poems entitled Poems by Two Brothers. He later published another volume called Poems, Chiefly Lyrical but was met with such heavy criticism that he did not write for another 10 years. During this period, he was engaged to Emily Sellwood, a childhood friend. However, he made a bad investment on an ecclesiastical wood-working enterprise and Sellwood's family broke off the engagement (though some say Tennyson himself broke it off, instead). 

At the same time, his closest friend and future brother-in-law Arthur Hallam died at 22 of a stroke, deeply traumatizing Tennyson. Hallam's death led to the creation of In Memoriam, a long elegy that is considered Tennyson's greatest work.

In 1850, Tennyson was appointed to be the Poet Laureate, an honorary position given by the government whose job is to write verses for occasions such as monarchs' birthdays, marriages and coronations. At this point, Tennyson was considered widely loved, especially by Prince Albert. When the monarch died, Queen Victoria spoke openly about how Tennyson's In Memoriam helped her cope with her husband's death.

Tennyson wrote about many topics, including nature and classical myths. Yet the topic that most fascinated him was the Arthurian legend, which he described as "the greatest of all subjects." Many of his poems remain incredibly famous, such as Lady of Shalott, Morte D'Arthur, Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere and Sir Galahad. His Idylls of the King is considered the most famous Victorian adaption of King Arthur and the Round Table. 

Here is a reading of Lady of Shalott