Not since Byron has a poet enjoyed such extraordinary critical and popular success. Modern readers will recognize Tennyson's genius for painting - not pictures - but human thoughts and feelings - in a rich and sensuous imagery. Dramatic and colourful, his descriptive writing shows the influence of Keats, though the distinctive rhythmic quality of his lyrics creates an identity of mood and physical surroundings uniquely his own. Containing a substantial selection from Tennyson's ouevre, this volume concentrates on the period of growing maturity characterized by Maud, a poignant account of psychological disintegration, and In Memorium, a record of spiritual conflict considered by many to be his greatest work.
