Description: Seeking to understand Tennyson's poetry as the work of a man concerned with making and then living up one of the most famous names in literature, Anna Barton offers close readings of major works from his early lyrics to his Arthurian Idylls. The laureate's keen sense of professional identity, Barton argues, forced him to grapple with modern concerns about the ethics of print in a market-driven age as he established his own responsible poetic.
Review Quotes: 'Barton's study is complex, deft and consistently engaging.' Sharp News 'This is a fine, original, and thoughtful study of Tennyson... It is a peculiarly stimulating and successful analysis, written with seriousness, but also wit... this is a model of how to write a critical study of poetry in the modern academy.' Tennyson Research Bulletin 'Through her original analytical approach, Barton foregrounds a neglected dimension of Tennyson's poetic career. In this sense, the remarkable merit of Tennyson's Name lies in the fact that it offers a series of stimulating ideas, thus contributing to the overall reappraisal of Tennyson's production that we have witnessed in the last half century.' Rivista di Studi Vittoriani 'Barton's study is a valuable source of literary insight which offers important new readings of even some of Tennyson's best-loved and most-discussed poems; and it should prove a source of further inspiration and enjoyment to both scholars and new readers, alike.' English Studies '... an excellent account of an intriguing aspect of Tennyson's life and work.' Modern Language Review