Selected by Rosemary Gray. Poignant, wry, chilling, challenging, amusing, thought-provoking and always intriguing, these accomplished tales from the pens of great writers are object-lessons in the art of creating a literary masterpiece on a small canvas. From the straightforwardly anecdotal to the more analytical of human behaviour, all are guaranteed to capture the imagination, stir the emotions, linger in the memory and whet the reader's appetite for more. In this book, Wordsworth Editions presents the modern reader with a rich variety of short stories by a host of towering literary figures ranging from Arnold Bennett to Virginia Woolf. This disparate and distinguished company of writers has rarely - if ever - met within the pages of one volume: the result is a positive feast.

Four gray walls, and four gray towers, Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle imbowers The Lady of Shalott. Tennyson's romantic poem, full of atmosphere and emotion, tells the story of the mysterious Lady of Shalott. In this exquisite illustrated edition, Charles Keeping's evocative pictures take us to Camelot, a fabled world of knights and castles, to witness the cursed life and tragic death of a beautiful but doomed maiden. This new edition features rescanned artwork to capture the inspiring detail of Keeping's illustrations and a striking new cover.

In this series, a contemporary poet selects and introduces a poet of the past. By their choice of poems and by the personal and critical reactions they express in their prefaces, the editors offer insights into their own work as well as providing an accessible and passionate introduction to some of the greatest poets in our literature. Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92) was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, the sixth of eleven children of a clergyman. After a childhood marked by trauma, he went up to Cambridge in 1828, where he met Arthur Hallam, whose premature death had a lasting influence on Tennyson's life and writing. His two volumes of Poems (1842) established him as the leading poet of his generation, and of the Victorian period. He was created Poet Laureate in 1850 and in 1883 accepted a peerage.

Maud, and Other Poems (1850) is a collection of poems by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The first work Tennyson published after becoming Poet Laureate in 1850, Maud, and Other Poems contains several of the poet's most celebrated works. "Maud," the title poem, is a narrative that explores themes of forbidden romance, marriage, death, and mourning. "The Charge of the Light Brigade," originally published in The Examiner in 1854, was written as a tribute to the British Light Cavalry Brigade, which led an ill-fated charge at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. "Maud" follows a young poet who, after the tragic loss of his father, falls in love with the beautiful Maud. Despite his honorable intentions, the narrator is thwarted by Maud's brother, who wants his sister to marry a wealthy businessman. When the brother takes a brief trip to London, the young poet uses the opportunity to court Maud in earnest. But time is not on his side, and the brother returns to throw a ball in order to introduce the businessman to his sister. As his chance at love erodes, the poet makes a desperate choice and risks losing everything-love, home, and life itself. "The Charge of the Light Brigade" is a tribute to the British casualties at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. Tennyson's patriotic narrative poem addresses the controversy surrounding the charge, which took place because of a mistaken order and sent hundreds of British cavalrymen in a doomed head-on assault on a well-fortified Russian line of defense. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Maud, and Other Poems is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Princess (1847) is a poem by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written before Tennyson was named Poet Laureate, the poem addresses accusations from critics that the poet refused to write on serious subjects, as well as the founding of Queen's College, London, the first college for women in Britain. Despite its comedic tone and somewhat critical outlook, the poem is seen as an important early work dedicated to exploring the concerns of the burgeoning feminist movement. Unable to find the princess Ida, a young prince seeks the council of her father, King Gama, in order to locate his young fiancee. The king tells him that Ida has fled to a distant retreat, where she has founded a university for women and forsaken the ways of men. Joined by his friends Cyril and Florian, the prince disguises himself as a woman and journeys in search of Ida. The three enroll as students at her university, learning its lessons and absorbing its goals for equality between men and women. As the prince grows close to Ida, he struggles to hide his true identity from her, and is eventually forced to flee. Captured, he is held by the princess while King Gama and his father threaten to go to war over his release. As Ida prepares for battle, the prince and Florian manage to escape, returning home to prepare for conflict with Ida and her brothers. The Princess is a serio-comic poem which dramatizes the goals of the early feminist movement while examining the institution of marriage and the highly gendered nature of education and opportunity in Britain. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's The Princess is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Princess (1847) is a poem by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written before Tennyson was named Poet Laureate, the poem addresses accusations from critics that the poet refused to write on serious subjects, as well as the founding of Queen's College, London, the first college for women in Britain. Despite its comedic tone and somewhat critical outlook, the poem is seen as an important early work dedicated to exploring the concerns of the burgeoning feminist movement. Unable to find the princess Ida, a young prince seeks the council of her father, King Gama, in order to locate his young fiancee. The king tells him that Ida has fled to a distant retreat, where she has founded a university for women and forsaken the ways of men. Joined by his friends Cyril and Florian, the prince disguises himself as a woman and journeys in search of Ida. The three enroll as students at her university, learning its lessons and absorbing its goals for equality between men and women. As the prince grows close to Ida, he struggles to hide his true identity from her, and is eventually forced to flee. Captured, he is held by the princess while King Gama and his father threaten to go to war over his release. As Ida prepares for battle, the prince and Florian manage to escape, returning home to prepare for conflict with Ida and her brothers. The Princess is a serio-comic poem which dramatizes the goals of the early feminist movement while examining the institution of marriage and the highly gendered nature of education and opportunity in Britain. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's The Princess is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Idylls of the King (1859-1885) is a cycle of narrative poems by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written while Tennyson was serving as Poet Laureate, Idylls of the King reworks the medieval Arthurian legend in blank verse and with an elegiac tone. Based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and the early British Mabinogion manuscripts, Tennyson's work connects an ancient tradition to the reign and ideals of Queen Victoria. "The Coming of Arthur" traces Arthur's rise to power, narrating his role in the siege of Cameliard and the liberation of Leodogran's kingdom. Following their victory, Arthur marries Guinevere, Leodogran's daughter, who is brought to Camelot by the loyal Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur's finest knights. In "Gareth and Lynette," the young Gareth begins as a worker in Camelot's kitchens before ascending to the role of knight and being sent on a quest to Castle Perilous. In "Enid," Sir Geraint, disturbed by a rumored liaison between Lancelot and Guinevere, grows suspicious of his wife Enid and decides to leave Camelot. Unable to quell his distrust and jealousy, Geraint brings Enid on a dangerous quest in order to test her faith. Other sections of the sequence follow the quest for the Holy Grail, Guinevere's escape from Camelot, and Mordred's betrayal of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Idylls of the King illuminates an ancient legend for modern audiences, presenting stories of honor, romance, and adventure in engaging, accessible verse. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Idylls of the King (1859-1885) is a cycle of narrative poems by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written while Tennyson was serving as Poet Laureate, Idylls of the King reworks the medieval Arthurian legend in blank verse and with an elegiac tone. Based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and the early British Mabinogion manuscripts, Tennyson's work connects an ancient tradition to the reign and ideals of Queen Victoria. "The Coming of Arthur" traces Arthur's rise to power, narrating his role in the siege of Cameliard and the liberation of Leodogran's kingdom. Following their victory, Arthur marries Guinevere, Leodogran's daughter, who is brought to Camelot by the loyal Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur's finest knights. In "Gareth and Lynette," the young Gareth begins as a worker in Camelot's kitchens before ascending to the role of knight and being sent on a quest to Castle Perilous. In "Enid," Sir Geraint, disturbed by a rumored liaison between Lancelot and Guinevere, grows suspicious of his wife Enid and decides to leave Camelot. Unable to quell his distrust and jealousy, Geraint brings Enid on a dangerous quest in order to test her faith. Other sections of the sequence follow the quest for the Holy Grail, Guinevere's escape from Camelot, and Mordred's betrayal of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Idylls of the King illuminates an ancient legend for modern audiences, presenting stories of honor, romance, and adventure in engaging, accessible verse. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Published in 1850, "In Memoriam" won its author the Poet Laureateship of Britain and received widespread attention from critics and reviewers, as well as ordinary readers. The poem was written in memory of Tennyson's close friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly in 1833; it became a kind of unofficial devotional manual for mourners, including Queen Victoria after the death of Prince Albert. The poem's scope goes beyond individual grief, however, to the development and extinction of species, audaciously exploring history, evolution and God's relationship with humanity. Its formal beauty and emotional resonance make "In Memoriam" as compelling today as it was for nineteenth-century readers. Matthew Rowlinson's introduction traces the poem's composition history and places it in the context of Tennyson's personal and intellectual development. Historical appendices include writings by Arthur Hallam, Victorian fiction on courtship and marriage and materials on natural history and evolution.