The Moxon Tennyson: A Landmark in Victorian Illustration (Series in Victorian Studies)

Cooke’s analysis of this milestone Victorian publication reveals the fluctuating harmony and dissonance between Tennyson’s poems and their illustrations, the technical challenges and occupations involved in its manufacture, its readers’ contemporary reception, and its subsequent influence as a variously revered and reviled publication. A new perspective on a book that transformed Victorian illustration into a stand-alone art. Edward Moxon’s 1857 edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Poems dramatically redefined the relationship between images and words in print. Cooke’s study, the first book to address the subject in over 120 years, presents a sweeping analysis of the illustrators and the complex and challenging ways in which they interpreted Tennyson’s poetry. This book considers the volume’s historical context, examining in detail the roles of publisher, engravers, and binding designer, as well as the material difficulties of printing its fine illustrations, which recreate the effects of painting. Arranged thematically and reproducing all the original images, the chapters present a detailed reappraisal of the original volume and the distinctive culture that produced it. "Edward Moxon's 1857 edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Poems dramatically redefined the relationship between images and words in print. Cooke's study, the first book to address the subject in over 120 years, presents a sweeping analysis of the illustrators and the complex and challenging ways in which they interpreted Tennyson's poetry. This book considers the volume's historical context, examining in detail the roles of publisher, engravers, and binding designer, as well as the material difficulties of printing its fine illustrations, which recreate the effects of painting. Arranged thematically and reproducing all the original images, the chapters present a detailed reappraisal of the original volume and the distinctive culture that produced it"-- Provided by publisher Contents 10 Illustrations 12 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction 20 1: The Making of the Book 36 2: Painting, Time, Light, Landscape 70 3: Englishness, the Modern, Copying from Nature 105 4: Psychology, Dreaming, Medievalism 137 5: Relationships, Gender, Androgyny 164 6: Reception, Influence, Afterlife 190 Appendix 1 210 Appendix 2 214 Notes 218 Bibliography 240 Index 252