The Lady of Shalott

Description

The author, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was the Poet Laureate of England and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria’s reign and he remains one of Britain’s most popular poets. This poem, “The Lady of Shalott,” is a lyrical ballad that tells the legend of a young noble woman imprisoned in a tower on an island near Camelot. She can only watch the outside world through a mirror and must weave what she sees. She has heard that if she looks at Camelot directly, she will be cursed. One of the Tennyson’s best-known works, its vivid medieval romanticism and enigmatic symbolism inspired many painters, especially the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers.

This American edition is illustrated by Howard Pyle, who was also an author of children’s books. His 1883 classic publication The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, is still in print and his other books frequently have medieval European settings, including a four-volume set on the legends of King Arthur. Here, carefully-produced chromolithograph prints convey Pyle’s colorful medieval-inspired designs and enhance the reader’s experience of this beloved poem.


Author/Photographer Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron, 1809-1892
Illustrator Pyle, Howard, 1853-1911
Publisher New York: Dodd, Mead & Company
Date 1881
Extent 64 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 23 cm
Institution Kent State University
Repository Special Collections and Archives
LC Classification Number PR5563 .L5 1881
Portion Digitized page [30]
Access Rights This digital object is owned by Kent State University and may be protected by U.S. Copyright law (Title 17, USC). Please include proper citation and credit for use of this item. Use in publications or productions is prohibited without written permission from Kent State University. Please contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives for more information.
Duplication Policy http://www.library.kent.edu/special-collections-and-archives/duplication-policy
Date Copyrighted 1881
DPLA Rights Statement http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format of Original book

Credits

Curated by Kathleen Siebert Medicus with guest contributors