Five Victorian poets you should have heard of Alfred, Lord Tennyson The titan of Victorian poetry played with the rhythm and sounds of words, creating dreamy, smooth verse He borrowed the Romantics’ imagery in long mournful monologues dealing with classical mythology and Arthurian legend, as in the Idylls of the King (1859-85) Tennyson’s reputation nosedived after his death, although all agreed on the beauty of In Memoriam A.H.H (1849), a haunting elegy to a dead friend “TI S B ETTER TO H AV E LO V ED A N D LO S T, TH A N N EV ER TO H AV E LO V ED AT A L L.” In Memoriam A.H.H., Alfred, Lord Tennyson Robert Browning Browning took Tennyson’s dramatic monologue to new intellectual heights Using a range of characters (or ‘masks’), Browning explored the darker side of human nature and society My Last Duchess (1842), about a wife-murdering diplomat, was greedily received Browning’s style was deliberately clunky in comparison to the smooth intonation of Tennyson Elizabeth Barrett Browning Better regarded by Victorians than her husband, Robert, Elizabeth poeticised the issues of the day and, particularly, how they affected women, but, like Mr B, used characters to mask her own voice Her verse was often long; Aurora Leigh (1857), about a female author, has novel proportions Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) chronicled her love for Robert Matthew Arnold Arnold has been seen as the bridge between Romanticism and Modernism He took the disillusionment of the later Victorian age to new depths, notably in the beguiling Dover Beach (1867), a harsh reflection on the state of modern life, relieved only by his hope for love Part of it was written on his honeymoon Algernon Swinburne Caught up in the Aesthetic movement and learning from the French Symbolists, Swinburne gave late Victorian poetry a sensuality and verve that embraced sadomasochism, death and atheism, all wrapped in eloquent rhyme The critics weren’t happy Atalanta in Calydon (1865) was his first big success 83 Identity: the foundations of British culture Literature and philosophy Art, architecture and design Performing arts Cinema, photography and fashion Media and communications Food and drink Living culture: the state of modern Britain