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.
Argues that Tennyson's war poems reflect image patterns of the Iliad and the Aeneid, and reinvigorate the heroic ethos that informs these and other ancient texts.
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