This was the first volume of poems Tennyson published after

in 1850 and after becoming Poet Laureate, also in 1850. The volume was dominated by the long monodrama,

, though its considerable popularity as a volume probably owed more to one of the other poems, “The Brook”, which became a Victorian favourite. This tells the tale of Katie Willows, whose father's farm stands where the brook of the title meets its parent river. Katie is wooed by her cousin but his courtship is impeded by the incessant chatter of her father, whose “daylong chirping” gets in the way of a lovers' reconciliation. All ends well in this lyrical and humorous idyl (as Tennyson called his poems of English rural scenes), and the poem is memorable for the brook's song, with its famous refrain:…

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Citation: Shaw, Marion. "Maud, and other Poems". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3678, accessed 24 November 2024.]