Harvard Classics Volume 42: English Poetry 3: Tennyson to Whitman

by Charles William Eliot (editor), Roy Pitchford (Editor)

Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."

Volume 42 is the third of three dedicated to English poets and they are presented chronologically. This volume starts with Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892) and ends with Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892).

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Reference

576 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Charles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university. Eliot served the longest term as president in the university's history.

Reviews

[Mrs. Natasha Hiseley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED coming across pieces I had forgotten about, those I refused to read and give emotion to, and those missed between the pages. Poetry has never been the style of writing I adhere to, or am even drawn to, but I discovered a tinge of admiration tucked rhythmically between the covers.

[G.P. Loehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorites from this collection: “Love in the Valley” by George Meredith; “A Forsaken Garden” by Algernon Charles Swinburne; “Maud Muller” by John Greenleaf Whittier.

[Elena Balabanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will not lie - there were works that disappointed me. This, of course, is understandable given the volume of the book. Still, it was worth it. This is a great and easily accessible overview of English poetry.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give a man a book he can read:
And his home is bright with a calm delight,
Though the room be poor indeed.

[Ixby Wuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."

Volume 42 is the third of three dedicated to English poets and they are presented chronologically. This volume starts with Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892) and ends with Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892).

[Bumbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites:
1. The Past - William Cullen Bryant
2. Good-bye - Emerson
3. A Psalm to Life - H. W Longfellow
4. A Light of Stars - H. W Longfellow
5. Hymn to Night - H. W Longfellow
6. The Bridge - H. W Longfellow
7. Resignation - H. W Longfellow
8. My Lost Youth - H. W Longfellow
9. The Lady of Shallot - Tennyson.

I will note, it was a crime not to include "In Memorium" by Tennyson in this anthology (arguably his best work).

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started for Tennyson's Arthurian poems, stayed for the... everything.

I was really impressed how many pages a book published in 1938 devoted to anti-slavery poems. I didn't even know that was a genre, but it was!

There are also a lot of poems about God, many of which I ended up skimming/skipping.

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMGoodness, I finally finished. It has taken me years. Poetry is not my thing. I mean, some poems, if you do not google them to know what they mean, you would have no idea what they mean. (There were a few nice poems, but over all, blech)

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't been reading cover to cover but one or two of each poet to see if their is someone else I'm missing - like TS Elliot I recently discovered and quite enjoy. Whitman still probably is my favorite here but I have found some new ones I love.

I want to know who is everyone's favorite poet or poem??

[Sortior · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice collection of British and American poetry. The American poets from the civil war are especially important reading