Tristram Of Lyonesse

1882. This is Swinburne's version of the courtly legend and is considered by him to be his masterwork. He is one of the very few poets since the days of Raleigh and Sidney to come from the aristocracy. He is also well-known for his sexual proclivities and debauched lifestyle. In writing Tristram of Lyonesse, Swinburne found the perfect opportunity for a complete formulation of the unique synthesis of passion, pantheism, and the courtly love ethos upon which his most important philosophical intuitions were primarily founded.