English Poetry III: Tennyson to Whitman: The Five Foot Shelf of Classics, Vol. XLII

by Alfred Tennyson, Walt Whitman, Charles William Eliot (Editor)

Originally published between 1909 and 1917 under the name "Harvard Classics," this stupendous 51-volume set-a collection of the greatest writings from literature, philosophy, history, and mythology-was assembled by American academic CHARLES WILLIAM ELIOT (1834-1926), Harvard University's longest-serving president. Also known as "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf," it represented Eliot's belief that a basic liberal education could be gleaned by reading from an anthology of works that could fit on five feet of bookshelf. Volume XLII is the third of three volumes that ambitiously survey half a milliennium of poetry in the English language. The 200 works by 40 19th-century British authors in this volume alone - Alfred, Lord "The Lady of Shalott" - William Makepeace "The End of the Play" - Robert "The Lost Mistress" - Emily "Last Lines" - Matthew "To Marguerite" - Charles "The Ivy Green" - Dante Gabriel "Silent Noon" - Christina Georgina "Song" - William "Prologue of the Earthly Paradise" - Robert Louis "In the Highlands" - Edgar Allan "The Raven" - Ralph Waldo "The Apology" - Henry Wadsworth "The Rainy Day" - Walt "O Captain! My Captain!" - and many more.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Reference

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Works, 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.

Reviews

[Mrs. Natasha Hiseley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED coming across pieces I had forgotten about, those I refused to read and give emotion to, and those missed between the pages. Poetry has never been the style of writing I adhere to, or am even drawn to, but I discovered a tinge of admiration tucked rhythmically between the covers.

[G.P. Loehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorites from this collection: “Love in the Valley” by George Meredith; “A Forsaken Garden” by Algernon Charles Swinburne; “Maud Muller” by John Greenleaf Whittier.

[Elena Balabanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will not lie - there were works that disappointed me. This, of course, is understandable given the volume of the book. Still, it was worth it. This is a great and easily accessible overview of English poetry.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give a man a book he can read:
And his home is bright with a calm delight,
Though the room be poor indeed.

[Ixby Wuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."

Volume 42 is the third of three dedicated to English poets and they are presented chronologically. This volume starts with Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892) and ends with Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892).

[Bumbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites:
1. The Past - William Cullen Bryant
2. Good-bye - Emerson
3. A Psalm to Life - H. W Longfellow
4. A Light of Stars - H. W Longfellow
5. Hymn to Night - H. W Longfellow
6. The Bridge - H. W Longfellow
7. Resignation - H. W Longfellow
8. My Lost Youth - H. W Longfellow
9. The Lady of Shallot - Tennyson.

I will note, it was a crime not to include "In Memorium" by Tennyson in this anthology (arguably his best work).

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started for Tennyson's Arthurian poems, stayed for the... everything.

I was really impressed how many pages a book published in 1938 devoted to anti-slavery poems. I didn't even know that was a genre, but it was!

There are also a lot of poems about God, many of which I ended up skimming/skipping.

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMGoodness, I finally finished. It has taken me years. Poetry is not my thing. I mean, some poems, if you do not google them to know what they mean, you would have no idea what they mean. (There were a few nice poems, but over all, blech)

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't been reading cover to cover but one or two of each poet to see if their is someone else I'm missing - like TS Elliot I recently discovered and quite enjoy. Whitman still probably is my favorite here but I have found some new ones I love.

I want to know who is everyone's favorite poet or poem??

[Sortior · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice collection of British and American poetry. The American poets from the civil war are especially important reading