Tennyson interprets the Arthurian myth as an epic poem, and his tales of Camelot soar to remarkable imaginative heights to trace the birth of a king; the founding, fellowship, and decline of the Round Table; and the king's inevitable departure. Encompassing romance, heroism, duty, and conflict, Tennyson's poetry charts the rise and fall of a legendary society.

His poems evoke the past and present, the exotic and the familiar, the rich and the poor, making this selection accessible-and applicable-to just about everyone.