"Read 'Em Yet?" Wednesday

"Read 'Em Yet?" Wednesdays features a special author that I've enjoyed and/or that has influenced me in some way. I get to have a giddy author-talk, and [hopefully] more traffic for my reward.

In turn, you get to discover new authors, have great discussions about your favorite ones, a new weekly event to participate in, and even prizes!

All I ask is that you follow the prompts at the end of the event, and post it on your blog.

How's that for some fun?

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Unfortunately, no one guessed this week's featured author, which is a shame. He's one of the most beloved poets in history. He's featured in such romantic works as Anne of Green Gables, and is often quoted in other books, movies, and plays. I'll give you a hint: one of his best-known poems is "The Lady of Shalott."

Lord Alfred Tennyson was born the son of a clergyman, And get this: he was homeschooled! After 4 years in school, he was brought home and tutored instead, still managing to attend college at Cambridge until his father died just before he finished his degree. He and two other brothers wrote and published poetry from their early teens; Alfred and his brother Charles published their first book, Poems by Two Brothers, when Alfred was only 16.

Surprisingly, even though the single work, "The Lady of Shalott" is now considered one of Tennyson's greatest pieces, his second anthology published under the same name was not met with much favor or critical acclaim when it was first printed. Tennyson, disheartened and embarrassed, didn't publish again for nearly ten years, though during his hiatus, his best friend also died, stirring his poetism to even greater heights.

1 Half a league half a league
2 Half a league onward
3 All in the valley of Death
4 Rode the six hundred:
5 `Forward the Light Brigade
6 Charge for the guns' he said
7 Into the valley of Death
8 Rode the six hundred

9 `Forward the Light Brigade!'
10 Was there a man dismay'd?
11 Not tho' the soldier knew
12 Some one had blunder'd:
13 Theirs not to make reply,
14 Theirs not to reason why,
15 Theirs but to do and die,
16 Into the valley of Death
17 Rode the six hundred. - "The Charge of the Light Brigade", 1st & 2nd stanzas

After the great William Wordsworth died in 1850, it was Tennyson's turn to be elected the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, and gained the attention and favor of Queen Victoria. ("Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events." - wikipedia.org)

Among his other famous works are Tennyson's Arhturian retelling, The Idylls of the King, "The Lotos-Eaters," "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (a personal favorite), and Becket, a play based on the murder and martydom of Sir Thomas-a-Becket of England.

Now for the meme:

1. If you have read a book by this author, no matter how many pages it is or how long ago it was that you read it, post about it on your blog. You can give a detailed review, a short synopsis, a few thoughts about the memories associated with it, or simply whether or not you would recommend it to others. It's a book-talk that you design!

2. If you haven't read a book by this author, visit a site like Fantastic Fiction or Goodreads, find a bibiliography of their books, and pick one that sounds interesting to you. Post a picture and/or link of it on your blog, and announce when you plan on reading it (in general; you don't have to give a date or specific time frame).

3. If, for some reason (even after all the fantastic author promotions and giveaways!), you don't plan to read something by this author, still post about it on your blog and why you're not convinced that they're worth a read.

4. Whichever option you choose, be sure to link back here so everyone else can see your answers!

And now...the giveaway!

If you can correctly guess next week's author, you'll receive two originally designed bookmarks from yours truly! Leave a comment with your guess; if there are several correct answers, I'll do a random number drawing to determine the winner. Good luck!




P.S. I'm leaving this open till tomorrow at 6pm, since it was late today. My apologies!