Alfred Tennyson Lord

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord (1809–92), English poet. His Poems (1842) established him as a major poet. His philosophic elegy In Memoriam (1850) became the favorite of Queen Victoria, who appointed him poet laureate. Idylls of the King (1842–85) is an epic based on the legends of King Arthur. Tennyson's mastery of sound and rhythm is perhaps best seen in haunting lyrics like “The Lotus-Eaters” and “The Lady of Shalott,” which appear in Poems (1832).