Reveals that Faust was a central influence on Tennyson's creative life Offers an abundance of fresh insights into Tennyson's poetry Makes a major contribution to the study of Goethe's influence in Britain Draws on detailed research into manuscripts and other primary sources Combines Victorian literature, Romanticism and German studies Tennyson's interest in Goethe's masterpiece began around 1824. It reached a remarkable level of intensity in 1833 34, and continued, intermittently, until 1855. The powerful influence that Faust exerted on his writings was mediated, most notably, by the translations of Abraham Hayward (1801 84), and it was often combined with that of a number of closely related works, by authors including Schiller, Byron, Shelley and Carlyle. This book reveals for the first time that Goethe's masterpiece is a presence in at least two dozen of Tennyson's poems, including several that are part of the canon of British literature.