We’re leaving Arthurian Legend and moving toward some Anglo-Saxon texts in the following weeks. The Celtic Bretons are pushed back as the Saxons invade. The White Horse that Tennyson uses as a sign of civilization early in the Idylls becomes an epithet for the Saxons, who are now “Lords of the White Horse.” But then … More The Demonic Book of the Bretons
Just like the fellowship of the Round Table, our time here with Arthur and his knights must come to an end. We have a lot more to talk about this summer, and I didn’t expect so much to come out of the Arthurian texts. We haven’t even made it to Hardy and Hopkins yet! But … More Arthurian Roundup
I’m pretty commonwealthy for an American. I’m a Victorianist, not an Americanist. I get excited about transatlantic interactions like the meeting between Whitman and Wilde in 1882. I even secretly consider Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, my queen as much as my little papist heart can handle. And I have to say, there might not … More Happy Fourth of July!
Imagine Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. What season is it? Do you see snow? Does a crisp winter light play over the stone? Now be honest…is Arthur wearing a scarf? I apologize for channeling a Disney scene, but bear with me. The legend of Arthur is very seasonal. The sword is pulled from … More Arthurian Time
Looking for some reading this Father’s Day? Perhaps you need something that rises above the din of bad Disney fathers or maybe you need some me time before opening up some poorly-wrapped black socks. Hey, we all secretly know we need more socks and that we’ll never buy them for ourselves. On this the day … More Father’s Day Reading
Looking for some books to read over the summer? I know it can be a time for lighter reading–I’ve been reading Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn as a break for the last few days–but summer can also be this magical time when we discover what Mark Edmundson calls “alienated majesty” when we find our “own suppressed and rejected … More Summer Reading
Happy New Year! Why don’t we celebrate with a section from In Memoriam A.H.H. Tennyson wrote this poem, with its cantos of raw grief enveloped by a calmer ring of a Prologue and an Epilogue, to mourn the untimely death of his friend. Part of the structure of this poem works around annual celebrations that work in the … More Ring Out, Wild Bells
It’s Alfred Tennyson’s birthday today. He was born on this day in 1809. Why don’t we celebrate him with the same vigor he celebrated Arthur Hallam’s birthday in his great elegy, In Memoriam A.H.H. Tennyson wrote this poem, with its cantos of raw grief enveloped by a calmer ring of a Prologue and an Epilogue, to mourn … More Happy Birthday Tennyson
Happy Memorial Day! I thought we would celebrate with Tennyson’s great elegy, In Memoriam. Completed in 1849, the poem follows Tennyson’s grief over the death of his friend, Arthur Hallam, in 1833. Through all 133 cantos of the poem, we share in the speaker’s mourning, but I’ve personally always found Canto 121 to be the most … More In Memoriam
What is a poet? There are the laureates recognized by the crown. The few who gather a community or a following around them. Or at least those who have been published. But what about the poets who had nothing? What about the opium addicts, the unpublished, and the unread? What about all those musty manuscripts … More 5 Poetic Failures Part 1
