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Last edited by Tom Morris
February 12, 2024 | History

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS, much better known as "Alfred, Lord Tennyson," was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language.

Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics, "In the valley of Cauteretz", "Break, Break, Break", "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears" and "Crossing the Bar". Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as Ulysses, although In Memoriam A.H.H. was written to commemorate his best friend Arthur Hallam, a fellow poet and fellow student at Trinity College, Cambridge, who was engaged to Tennyson's sister, but died from a cerebral hemorrhage before they were married. Tennyson also wrote some notable blank verse including Idylls of the King, Ulysses, and Tithonus. During his career, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.

Tennyson wrote a number of phrases that have become commonplaces of the English language, including: "Nature, red in tooth and claw", "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all", "Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die", "My strength is as the strength of ten, / Because my heart is pure", "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", and "The old order changeth, yielding place to new". He is the second most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations after Shakespeare.1

Born 6 August 1809
Died 6 October 1892

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  • Cover of: The Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate Volume VIII (Volume VIII)

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  • Cover of: In memoriam, The lover's tale, and other poems

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  • Cover of: Poems and plays
    First published in 1967 1 edition

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  • Cover of: The poems of Tennyson in three volumes

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  • Cover of: Selections from the Idylls of the King

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  • Cover of: Tennyson and his friends: catalogue of an exhibition at the Houghton Library, Harvard University.

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  • Cover of: The poetical works of Alfred Tennyson

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  • Cover of: Tennyson's Idylls of the King / Edited with Introduction and Notes by Charles W>French

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  • Cover of: Tennysons̓ The coming of Arthur, The Holy Grail and The passing of Arthur

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  • Cover of: Versus Tennysonianos Franklini cenotaphio inscriptos

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  • Cover of: The poems of Alfred, lord Tennyson

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  • Cover of: Idylls of the King - In Twelve Books

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  • Cover of: The Best of Lord Alfred Tennyson: Featuring Lady of Shalott, the Charge of the Light Brigade, Ulysses, in Memoriam A. H. H. , the Kraken, Crossing the Bar, Sir Galahad, Locksley Hall and Many, Many More

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  • Cover of: Idylls of the King
    First published in 2014 1 edition

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  • Cover of: In Memoriam A. H. H.  by: Alfred Tennyson. / in memory of Tennyson's friend Arthur Henry Hallam /

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  • Cover of: In Memoriam A. H. H.
    First published in 2012 1 edition

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  • Cover of: The 10 Best Lord Alfred Tennyson Poems

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  • Cover of: The Last Tournament
    First published in 2018 1 edition

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  • Cover of: Selected poems
    First published in 2010 1 edition

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  • Cover of: Viviane

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Born 6 August 1809
Died 6 October 1892

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February 12, 2024 Edited by Tom Morris Remove bad AKAs
September 13, 2023 Edited by Tom Morris merge authors
September 3, 2023 Edited by David Scotson Added new photo
March 21, 2022 Edited by JeneeWhitney merge authors
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user initial import