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Many readers are aware of Alfred Tennyson's treatment of legendary battles in such poems as Boadicea, The Revenge, Battle of Brunanburh, and Achilles over the Trench. Yet among Tennyson's most neglected works are his first battle poems, pieces that reflect the poet's immersion in the literature of the heroic age. J. Timothy Lovelace argues that Tennyson's war poems reflect image patterns of the Illiad and Aeneid , and reinvigorate the heroic ethos that informs these and other ancient texts. Highlighting the heroic aspects of Maud and the Idylls of the King , this book shows that Tennyson's early grounding in the Homeric tradition greatly influenced his later, celebrated work on martial subjects.
List of contents
Contents: Chapter One Tennyson and the Heroic Tradition Chapter Two The Early War Poetry Chapter Three Historical and Legendary Battles Chapter Four Contemporary Conflicts Chapter Five Maud Chapter Six Idylls of the King Bibliography Index
About the author
An independent scholar, J. Timothy Lovelace received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at chapel Hill in 1999.
Summary
Many readers are aware of Alfred Tennyson's treatment of legendary battles in such poems as Boadicea, The Revenge, Battle of Brunanburh, and Achilles over the Trench. Yet among Tennyson's most neglected works are his first battle poems, pieces that reflect the poet's immersion in the literature of the heroic age. J. Timothy Lovelace argues that Tennyson's war poems reflect image patterns of the Illiad and Aeneid , and reinvigorate the heroic ethos that informs these and other ancient texts. Highlighting the heroic aspects of Maud and the Idylls of the King , this book shows that Tennyson's early grounding in the Homeric tradition greatly influenced his later, celebrated work on martial subjects.
