Why have writers like Tennyson continued to tell stories about King Arthur's life and death?

The legends of King Arthur have proven to be hugely influential to the British canon. The tales even endure into today, and have inspired countless iterations and reinterpretations of the classic stories. Part of the reason the stories have been appropriated is due to the fact that they have components of storytelling that are especially compelling. These stories contain romance, danger, action, and a powerful, wise leader in the character of King Arthur.

Lord Alfred Tennyson and his contemporaries in the Victorian era were especially drawn to appropriating the Arthurian legends. During the Victorian era, a time of great social change across England, there were a number of writers who romanticized the Middle Ages and its perceived emphasis on chivalry and bravery. The Middle Ages, at least in the public perception, represented a simpler era, a time when rustic feudalism ensured a static social stratification. These social designations were in flux during the Victorian era with the rise of the middle class. Therefore, a number of writers used Medieval imagery entrenched in Arthurian legends in their works in order to evoke the noble qualities Arthur and his knights represented.