Exploring how Tennyson captured American hearts and minds
This study traces the poet’s reputation in the United States from 1827 to 1858, showing how critics and readers shaped and shared his growing fame. It examines the reception of major works, from early poems to Maud, and explains how American commentary helped define his place in Victorian letters.
Tennyson in America offers a clear, documentary account of how poems, popular verses, and timely debates influenced U.S. literary culture. It also looks at how wartime works like The Charge of the Light Brigade were understood, debated, and reprinted, and it explains why the poet’s later popularity rose with the Idylls of the King and other late works. Appendices document the American editions that helped spread his reputation.
- How American critics and readers reacted to Maud and other early poems
- Reception of The Charge of the Light Brigade and reactions to its Balaklava subject
- How the Idylls of the King sparked a new level of public interest starting in 1859
- Details on American editions and distribution of Tennyson’s works
Ideal for readers of literary history, Victorian poetry, and the transatlantic shaping of canon.