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Idylls of the King and a Selection of Poems
Alfred, Lord Tennyson evokes past and present, seeking to reconcile the Victorian zeal for public progress with private despair. Full of eloquence, epic grandeur, and myth, his haunting, rhapsodic poems still cast their lyrical spell today.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1889
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About the author
Alfred Tennyson
2,144 books1,442 followersWorks, including
In Memoriam
in 1850 and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" in 1854, of Alfred Tennyson, first baron, known as lord, appointed British poet laureate in 1850, reflect Victorian sentiments and aesthetics.
Elizabeth Tennyson, wife, bore Alfred Tennyson, the fourth of twelve children, to George Tennyson, clergyman; he inevitably wrote his books. In 1816, parents sent Tennyson was sent to grammar school of Louth.
Alfred Tennyson disliked school so intensely that from 1820, home educated him. At the age of 18 years in 1827, Alfred joined his two brothers at Trinity College, Cambridge and with Charles Tennyson, his brother, published Poems by Two Brothers , his book, in the same year.
Alfred Tennyson published Poems Chiefly Lyrical , his second book, in 1830. In 1833, Arthur Henry Hallam, best friend of Tennyson, engaged to wed his sister, died, and thus inspired some best Ulysses and the Passing of Arthur .
Following William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson in 1850 married Emily Sellwood Tenyson, his childhood friend. She bore Hallam Tennyson in 1852 and Lionel Tennyson in 1854, two years later.
Alfred Tennyson continued throughout his life and in the 1870s also to write a number of plays.
In 1884, the queen raised Alfred Tennyson, a great favorite of Albert, prince, thereafter to the peerage of Aldworth. She granted such a high rank for solely literary distinction to this only Englishman.
Alfred Tennyson died at the age of 83 years, and people buried his body in abbey of Westminster.
Elizabeth Tennyson, wife, bore Alfred Tennyson, the fourth of twelve children, to George Tennyson, clergyman; he inevitably wrote his books. In 1816, parents sent Tennyson was sent to grammar school of Louth.
Alfred Tennyson disliked school so intensely that from 1820, home educated him. At the age of 18 years in 1827, Alfred joined his two brothers at Trinity College, Cambridge and with Charles Tennyson, his brother, published Poems by Two Brothers , his book, in the same year.
Alfred Tennyson published Poems Chiefly Lyrical , his second book, in 1830. In 1833, Arthur Henry Hallam, best friend of Tennyson, engaged to wed his sister, died, and thus inspired some best Ulysses and the Passing of Arthur .
Following William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson in 1850 married Emily Sellwood Tenyson, his childhood friend. She bore Hallam Tennyson in 1852 and Lionel Tennyson in 1854, two years later.
Alfred Tennyson continued throughout his life and in the 1870s also to write a number of plays.
In 1884, the queen raised Alfred Tennyson, a great favorite of Albert, prince, thereafter to the peerage of Aldworth. She granted such a high rank for solely literary distinction to this only Englishman.
Alfred Tennyson died at the age of 83 years, and people buried his body in abbey of Westminster.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 2, 2018
Cried in a Macy's Starbucks. And on the subway. A++++, would be devastated again.
May 31, 2011
You pretty much can't avoid reading Idylls of the King, if you're going to study Arthuriana, and I'd already read some of it, here and there. But I decided to finally sit my way down and work through them from the beginning. Tennyson's poetry is wonderful, though of course very formal (to the modern reader, at least). His treatment of female characters (is there a truly positive female character in his work?) is troubling, but the quality of the writing and the love he had for his vision of Camelot shines through.
He doesn't seem to like Gawain much, which, boo.
This collection also includes some of his poetry, and an introduction to the Idylls by Glenn Everett.
He doesn't seem to like Gawain much, which, boo.
This collection also includes some of his poetry, and an introduction to the Idylls by Glenn Everett.
June 23, 2018
Since Goodreads may very well scoop this up and deposit with reviews of other editions entirely: This is a review of the Signet Classic "Idylls of the King and a New Selection of Poems: 150th Anniversary Edition" (Amazon and iBook catalogue title), a 2003 re-issue, with a new introduction, of a collection first published in 1961. The cover and title page just say it has "A Selection of Poems," with no claim of being recent, a point to which I will return.
The review was originally written to go with the Kindle edition on Amazon, and addresses its features: but the book is also available, at the same (presently low) price on Nook, Kobo, and iBook.
I have no idea of what "150th Anniversary" the cover celebrates -- none of the dates it suggests, counting back from 1961 or 2003, seems important to either Tennyson's life or the publication of the "Idylls" (Tennyson issued it piece-meal, and re-arranged it more than once before it reached its final form in 1885 -- the first "installments," including the ending, had appeared in a collection of his poems in 1842.)
If you like (some) Victorian poetry, and don't have this material, this would be a good place to start, although hardly the only edition of "Idylls of the King," or the only one with additional poems. For those who are uncertain, there are free versions, mostly by way of Project Gutenberg, also available for Kindle (and, apparently iBook, Kobo and Nook), entirely free, or even lower-priced than this one, with various extras, like more-or-less appropriate illustrations. You may, of course, decide to stick with those.
"Idylls of the King" is *the* Victorian treatment of the Arthurian legend, a top-seller in its day, and one which also assured the renewed popularity of Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur"after that had gone out of print (there was a long gap from 1634 to 1819, then another, shorter gap, until demand for the book increased.) The renewal of interest in Malory gave some readers access to a more genuinely medieval, if late, approach to the Arthurian story, which as a coherent whole dates back to the twelfth century (parts are much earlier). "Idylls" is heavily idealized, and romanticized or sentimentalized (depending on your taste), beyond anything in Tennyson's sources.
A lot of the British Arthurian art of the later nineteenth century (which pretty much all of it, the subject wasn't that popular before) is visibly dependent on Tennyson's versions of stories and characters, which at the time must have helped public recognition of what the pictures were about. Nowadays the titles may only produce a blank look, which is a shame: some of the paintings are quite good, and better if they make sense to you as part of a story.
To avoid spoilers, I won't give detailed views on how Tennyson handled some of the Arthurian material, beyond saying that I like some of it, and have reservations about a few passages which seem to me to strike a false note. (I remember a complaint about a movie review from someone who didn't know what happened to the Titanic, so I'm not assuming everyone reading this knows the outline of the Arthurian stories.)
So much for the "Idylls of the King," except for a technical point covered below.
The "New Selection of Poems" title in the Amazon and iBook catalogues (only) is a little confusing. The selection is no longer new: it was made by the late Oscar Williams for the *1961* paperback edition: he was a well-known editor of poetry anthologies at the time (and, according to Wikipedia, a minor poet). His selection misses some obvious titles, like "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After" (the obvious -- and disappointed -- sequel to the famous "Locksley Hall," with its optimistic view of the future). This leaves room for some lesser-known short works, like "Flower in the Crannied Wall," and the missing items are easily found elsewhere (especially, these days, on line), although only if you already know about them, at least by title.
If you have one of the many reprintings of that 1961 edition, you don't need this one, unless you are especially interested in the new Introduction by Glenn Everett, or really want it on your Kindle, Nook, or Kobo device or app, or iBook app. Fortunately, the digital editions are all quite inexpensive at this writing.
I have only checked the Kindle version. The transfer of the 1961 text seems to have gone pretty smoothly, and been well-edited, as there are no obvious garbled words or strange strings of characters leaping from the page -- New American Library (of which Signet is an imprint) seems to have taken some care to get it right.
Unfortunately, that care did not extend to the hyperlinked Table of Contents. It has NO links to the twelve individual "Idylls" (poems), just to their three main divisions, as "The Coming of Arthur," "The Round Table" (containing most of them), and "The Passing of Arthur." This is a considerable annoyance -- one can search for those buried as "The Round Table" easily enough by title, but you have to know the title already. Anyone reading them straight through might want to bookmark, highlight, or annotate the beginnings for easy reference in the future. (This oversight cost the Signet Kindle book part of a star, as my real rating would be more like four-and-a-half stars).
The review was originally written to go with the Kindle edition on Amazon, and addresses its features: but the book is also available, at the same (presently low) price on Nook, Kobo, and iBook.
I have no idea of what "150th Anniversary" the cover celebrates -- none of the dates it suggests, counting back from 1961 or 2003, seems important to either Tennyson's life or the publication of the "Idylls" (Tennyson issued it piece-meal, and re-arranged it more than once before it reached its final form in 1885 -- the first "installments," including the ending, had appeared in a collection of his poems in 1842.)
If you like (some) Victorian poetry, and don't have this material, this would be a good place to start, although hardly the only edition of "Idylls of the King," or the only one with additional poems. For those who are uncertain, there are free versions, mostly by way of Project Gutenberg, also available for Kindle (and, apparently iBook, Kobo and Nook), entirely free, or even lower-priced than this one, with various extras, like more-or-less appropriate illustrations. You may, of course, decide to stick with those.
"Idylls of the King" is *the* Victorian treatment of the Arthurian legend, a top-seller in its day, and one which also assured the renewed popularity of Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur"after that had gone out of print (there was a long gap from 1634 to 1819, then another, shorter gap, until demand for the book increased.) The renewal of interest in Malory gave some readers access to a more genuinely medieval, if late, approach to the Arthurian story, which as a coherent whole dates back to the twelfth century (parts are much earlier). "Idylls" is heavily idealized, and romanticized or sentimentalized (depending on your taste), beyond anything in Tennyson's sources.
A lot of the British Arthurian art of the later nineteenth century (which pretty much all of it, the subject wasn't that popular before) is visibly dependent on Tennyson's versions of stories and characters, which at the time must have helped public recognition of what the pictures were about. Nowadays the titles may only produce a blank look, which is a shame: some of the paintings are quite good, and better if they make sense to you as part of a story.
To avoid spoilers, I won't give detailed views on how Tennyson handled some of the Arthurian material, beyond saying that I like some of it, and have reservations about a few passages which seem to me to strike a false note. (I remember a complaint about a movie review from someone who didn't know what happened to the Titanic, so I'm not assuming everyone reading this knows the outline of the Arthurian stories.)
So much for the "Idylls of the King," except for a technical point covered below.
The "New Selection of Poems" title in the Amazon and iBook catalogues (only) is a little confusing. The selection is no longer new: it was made by the late Oscar Williams for the *1961* paperback edition: he was a well-known editor of poetry anthologies at the time (and, according to Wikipedia, a minor poet). His selection misses some obvious titles, like "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After" (the obvious -- and disappointed -- sequel to the famous "Locksley Hall," with its optimistic view of the future). This leaves room for some lesser-known short works, like "Flower in the Crannied Wall," and the missing items are easily found elsewhere (especially, these days, on line), although only if you already know about them, at least by title.
If you have one of the many reprintings of that 1961 edition, you don't need this one, unless you are especially interested in the new Introduction by Glenn Everett, or really want it on your Kindle, Nook, or Kobo device or app, or iBook app. Fortunately, the digital editions are all quite inexpensive at this writing.
I have only checked the Kindle version. The transfer of the 1961 text seems to have gone pretty smoothly, and been well-edited, as there are no obvious garbled words or strange strings of characters leaping from the page -- New American Library (of which Signet is an imprint) seems to have taken some care to get it right.
Unfortunately, that care did not extend to the hyperlinked Table of Contents. It has NO links to the twelve individual "Idylls" (poems), just to their three main divisions, as "The Coming of Arthur," "The Round Table" (containing most of them), and "The Passing of Arthur." This is a considerable annoyance -- one can search for those buried as "The Round Table" easily enough by title, but you have to know the title already. Anyone reading them straight through might want to bookmark, highlight, or annotate the beginnings for easy reference in the future. (This oversight cost the Signet Kindle book part of a star, as my real rating would be more like four-and-a-half stars).
September 15, 2017
I really enjoyed reading these poems on the heels of Le Morte D'Arthur and Once and Future King. I loved the Biblical references that Tennyson made... for example:
"And Merlin call'd it 'the Siege Perilous,'
Perilous for good and ill; 'for there,' he said,
'No man could sit but he should lose himself.'
And once by misadvertence Merlin sat
In his own chair, and so was lost; but he,
Galahad, when he heard of Merlin's doom,
Cried, 'If I lose myself, I save myself!'"
And some of his story additions- particularly the Welsh legend of Geraint & Enid and having Gareth marry Lyonette.
My only complaint is that he made Arthur almost as pure as Galahad- and changing some key points in his story makes the legend lose some of its tragic edge. Arthur is a wonderful king, even with his failures. He reminds me of King David in the Bible.
Overall, a wonderful and impressive series of poetry.
"And Merlin call'd it 'the Siege Perilous,'
Perilous for good and ill; 'for there,' he said,
'No man could sit but he should lose himself.'
And once by misadvertence Merlin sat
In his own chair, and so was lost; but he,
Galahad, when he heard of Merlin's doom,
Cried, 'If I lose myself, I save myself!'"
And some of his story additions- particularly the Welsh legend of Geraint & Enid and having Gareth marry Lyonette.
My only complaint is that he made Arthur almost as pure as Galahad- and changing some key points in his story makes the legend lose some of its tragic edge. Arthur is a wonderful king, even with his failures. He reminds me of King David in the Bible.
Overall, a wonderful and impressive series of poetry.
August 5, 2021
"O purblind race of miserable men,
How many among us at this very hour
Do forge a lifelong trouble for ourselves,
By taking true for false, or false for true ;
Here, thro' the feeble twilight of this world
Groping, how many, until we pass and reach
That other where we see as we are seen!"
How many among us at this very hour
Do forge a lifelong trouble for ourselves,
By taking true for false, or false for true ;
Here, thro' the feeble twilight of this world
Groping, how many, until we pass and reach
That other where we see as we are seen!"
November 16, 2011
Gorgeous. I mean, absolutely stunning poetry. Tennyson's exploration of the dark side of love, and how it can overtake the very greatest of men (Merlin and King Arthur included), is one of the most breathtaking and painful pieces of poetic, historical fiction that I've ever read. I could honestly sit and read and analyze these poems for hours. There's so much to interpret, so much to enjoy... If you're a fan of Arthurian legend, you should absolutely take a look at Idylls. Same goes for anyone who's a fan of poetry or who has an interest in romance and the various ways that it manifests itself.
February 16, 2013
I found Tennyson's Idylls of the King to be very readable. Tennyson has a very clear verse that is both eloquent and easy to follow. He writes several stories from the Arthurian canon. My personal favorite is "Gareth and Lynette." It's an unconventional adventure story, and it's one of the few times that the women in Camelot are shown taking action. And, as proven in "Lancelot an Elaine," Tennyson manages to bring sympathy to some unlikeable Camelot characters.
This version also includes poetry outside of Camelot lore. "The Lady of Shalot" is probably his more famous poem, but "The Kraken" is also really interesting.
This version also includes poetry outside of Camelot lore. "The Lady of Shalot" is probably his more famous poem, but "The Kraken" is also really interesting.
September 8, 2010
My first exposure to the Matter of Britain was in junior high school when I read what was probably an abridged version of Malory illustrated by Pyle. The next were White's Once and Future King and the musical and movie based upon it. I picked up Tennyson because we'd read him in high school English classes.
It's long. I read part of it silently, part of it aloud over a period of weeks, possibly months, a bit at a time. Mostly I was impressed by the language, but one idea came across and has perdured: "Words are God in man."
It's long. I read part of it silently, part of it aloud over a period of weeks, possibly months, a bit at a time. Mostly I was impressed by the language, but one idea came across and has perdured: "Words are God in man."
September 17, 2023
'Id-ills' - not 'Idles'!
Ruskin, the great Victorian critic, reproached Tennyson with writing about a legendary past when he should have been writing about the present. On the face of it this is unsound: people are people, whatever the era, and in any case an poet can only write about human nature as he knows it - whether the poem is set in the past or not. Sometimes it is actually easier to see ourselves reflected in the clear, undisturbed waters of the past rather than the muddy, turbulent present.
And yet, the criticism is not entirely astray. The thing that’s wrong with the Idylls is not that they are set in the past, still less is it the alleged air of Victorian respectability; it’s that they are just that, idylls, daydreams – idle storytelling that seems intended only to pass the time, not to challenge, excite or stimulate. They don’t seem to be about anything, they don’t have anything to say, there is no guiding principle or vision. With In Memoriam, you don’t forget even for the space of one line the overall thing that the poem is about – Tennyson’s grief for his friend, and consequent musings about life and death. There is none of that quality in the Idylls, they just ramble along in a colourful but pointless pageant, a big game of dress-up. And no doubt this is what Ruskin sensed, though he didn't quite express it. As for the Idylls, I don’t think I have patience with them. It would take a heroic effort in a modern reader to read them all through.
Btw, my American friends - please note the correct pronunciation of the word 'Idyll'!
Ruskin, the great Victorian critic, reproached Tennyson with writing about a legendary past when he should have been writing about the present. On the face of it this is unsound: people are people, whatever the era, and in any case an poet can only write about human nature as he knows it - whether the poem is set in the past or not. Sometimes it is actually easier to see ourselves reflected in the clear, undisturbed waters of the past rather than the muddy, turbulent present.
And yet, the criticism is not entirely astray. The thing that’s wrong with the Idylls is not that they are set in the past, still less is it the alleged air of Victorian respectability; it’s that they are just that, idylls, daydreams – idle storytelling that seems intended only to pass the time, not to challenge, excite or stimulate. They don’t seem to be about anything, they don’t have anything to say, there is no guiding principle or vision. With In Memoriam, you don’t forget even for the space of one line the overall thing that the poem is about – Tennyson’s grief for his friend, and consequent musings about life and death. There is none of that quality in the Idylls, they just ramble along in a colourful but pointless pageant, a big game of dress-up. And no doubt this is what Ruskin sensed, though he didn't quite express it. As for the Idylls, I don’t think I have patience with them. It would take a heroic effort in a modern reader to read them all through.
Btw, my American friends - please note the correct pronunciation of the word 'Idyll'!
January 4, 2022
There was a lot I really liked about this take on the Arthurian story. My favorite was the way the Grail story itself was told. But I made my typical mistake of trying to read poetry like a novel, which took a bit of my enjoyment away, sadly. I really need to practice reading poetry as poetry (for pleasure, not for my literary studies) more.
October 3, 2025
This is my first reading of Alfred Lord Tennyson's work, at least that I can remember. I have a feeling that I would not forget his well-chosen words. I was hooked on this book from the very start. It was challenging to put it down at times. As we all know, real life sometimes gets in the way of reading time.
November 9, 2019
This is Tennyson’s poetic cycle concerning King Arthur. It was a little difficult to understand but, with the help of Cliff Notes, I was able to decipher and finish.
June 26, 2012
Most of this is terrific. Idylls of the King is definitely worth reading, and some of the poems that come after it-- "Ulysses" and "Tithonus" in particular-- are stunning. I thought, however, that "The Two Voices" and "Locksley Hall" were awful-- long, boring, and trite, and weirdly reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. For some reason Tennyson reserved his most original, evocative lines for poems written in blank verse or complex rhyme. Anyway, most of the book is lovely, and I'll certainly be keeping it around.
January 2, 2015
I get the impression not everyone loves Tennyson. I get that; he's a pompous douche. I always kinda liked him, though. I think his strongest stuff here - Arthur's speech to Guinevere, in "Guinevere," comes to mind - is staggering. Sometimes you have to work a little too hard to figure out what the hell he's banging on about, though. You get the impression he's being purposefully obtuse because he thinks that's what poets are supposed to do.
May 13, 2007
Tennyson, as always, exhibits lyrical excellence and weaves together the hopes, joys, fears, and tragedy that characterize the tale of King Arthur. The characters are richly portrayed, the tale itself sings, and shattered dream of Camelot becomes, for Tennyson, a solemn warning and word of remorse for a grand venture lost.
March 27, 2013
I guess I liked it. Tennyson seems to glory in the decay of something good, strong, and even perfect. It's a bit gloomy for my taste. Same thing with the poems--I don't really find death all that dreamy, and I don't feel the pull of the grave. I would actively like to avoid the grave. I prefer Whitman's version of this period--exuberant, optimistic, still kind of annoying.
September 5, 2007
thanks to markson, i now know that auden said tennyson had the finest ear of asny english poet, and was also undoubtedly the stupidest. considering that i rank ears more important than brains, i'm giving it a shot.
Read
May 17, 2009Again, this makes up part of the core of my knowledge of the Arthurian legends, and was an early influence in how I saw that world, forming most of my opinions of the characters involved. Another foundation novel, in my opinion. Besides, I like Tennyson.
September 24, 2009
I liked it, I just didn't love it. I suppose I just rather have a story that tells the whole part. The poetic delivery became a bit tiresome after a bit save for a few moments during each chapter I had chills. Glad I read it but won't be clamouring for a repeat....
April 23, 2014
3,5/5
Eloquentky written, Tennyson paints beautiful words that sometimes overwhelmed me with their sheer greatness.
I loved some parts of the Idylls, and some poems, like The Lady of Shalott for example, made me wonder at their loveliness.
Eloquentky written, Tennyson paints beautiful words that sometimes overwhelmed me with their sheer greatness.
I loved some parts of the Idylls, and some poems, like The Lady of Shalott for example, made me wonder at their loveliness.
August 13, 2013
It was "The Coming of Arthur" and at the end, "The Passing of Arthur" that made this series for me. The middle stories I could do without but the beginning and the end nailed the wonderful pagan mysticism, lush lyricism and beautiful pictures that Tennyson creates. He's a master.
May 12, 2015
A lovely collection of poems on Arthurian legend-- difficult to read and analyze, yes, but it was worth the challenge. My favorite story within it has got to be "Lancelot and Elaine" as it tells the sad yet beautiful story of "Elaine, the lily maid of Astolat".
October 26, 2015
One of my favorite poets is Tennyson and I love Idylls of the King. I can read this over and over again! I read "Locksley Hall" and "The Lady of Shallot" in college and couldn't get enough of Tennyson.
September 13, 2020
I read several of these idylls long ago, not without pleasure, and thought I’d enjoy the whole. Yawn. I read about midway into the fifth—Merlin and Vivien—and quit. If you adore Arthur, this might suit you; otherwise probably not. The poetry is not much good, the story not much better.
June 5, 2007
Good stories, but I would have preferred them if they weren't poems. But that's just cuz I don't like poetry.
June 23, 2007
Absolutly beautiful and enchanting.
Want to read
September 24, 2007Its time to reread this poem now that I've reached the age of decline where, "we are not now that force which once moved earth and heaven."
November 26, 2007
I like King Arthur legends and stuff, but I'm not at all a poetry fan...
April 6, 2009
I especially liked In Memoriam A.A.H., and from Idylls of the King, the stories of Geraint and Enid.
December 16, 2010
Tricky yet beautiful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews