Why read The Lady of Shalott?

Book cover of The Lady of Shalott

Book description

Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

Tennyson's romantic poem, full of atmosphere and emotion, tells the story of the mysterious Lady of Shalott. In this exquisite illustrated edition, Charles Keeping's evocative pictures take us to…

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Topics

Romanticism

Genres

Poetry

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Lady of Shalott as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Cassia Hall

Author

"The Lady of Shalott" is a famous poem in the Romantic tradition. It’s partly inspired by Edmund Spenser’s "The Faerie Queene," and partly by the Arthurian legend. Most people have heard at least a few of the oft-quoted lines. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it, but I still get caught up in the story-telling and the magical fantasy vibes. In my opinion, it’s right up there with the greatest fantasy poems of all time.

From Cassia's list on The best romantic fantasy poetry that will make you swoon and sigh.