Alfred Lord Tennyson

1
Alfred Lord Tennyson

• 1909-1892

2
Background

• Born August 6, 1809. at Somersby
• Several men in his family had mental and physical
  problems epilepsy, insanity, excessive drinking
  
• Tennysons father was abusive and violent

3
Cambridge

• Tennyson attended Trinity College, Cambridge
• Invited to join The Apostles, an undergraduate
  club.
  
• This group included his lifelong friends.
• Most important friendship was with Arthur Hallam.
  He and Tennyson knew each other for only four
  years, but their intense friendship had a major
  influence on the poet.
• Hallams death in 1833 when he was only 22 lead
  to his best poetry, including In Memoriam.
  

4
1830 and 1832 Poems

• In 1830, Tennyson published Poems, Chiefly
  Lyrical
  
• Poems (1832 and 1833) were attacked by critics as
  obscure and affected.
  
• Criticism kept Tennyson from publishing again for
  another nine years.
  

5
1842 Poems

• Established Tennysons career as a writer
• This volume includes The Lady of Shalott, The
  Lotus Eaters, and Ulysses.
  

6
In Memoriam

• Tennysons greatest poem
• Published in 1850
• Represents his struggle with Hallams death and
  with the new developments in astronomy, biology,
  and geology that were diminishing mans stature
  in the universe.
• After publication of this poem, Tennyson was
  named Poet Laureate.
  

7
Tennysons Later Poetry

• Tennysons later poetry follows a narrative
  style
  
• Several poems dealt with national affairs
• By this time, Tennyson was established as the
  most popular poet of the Victorian period. The
  money from his poetry allowed him to purchase a
  house in the country and write in seclusion.
• His appearance enhanced his notoriety.

8
Idylls of the King

• Large-scale epic poem that occupied the second
  half of his career.
  
• Uses the Arthurian legend to construct a vision
  of the rise and fall of civilization.
  
• Tennysons most extensive social vision.

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Themes in Tennysons Poetry

• The divided self
• Links external scenery to interior states of
  mind.
  
• The historical past
• The mythological past
• Tennysons personal past
• Geological time and evolutionary history
• Social and political concerns

10
Tennysons Reputation

• Tennyson was the most popular poet in England in
  his own day
  
• He was the target of mockery by his immediate
  successors, the Edwardians and Georgians.
  
• Today, many critics consider Tennyson to be the
  greatest poet of the Victorian Age.
  

11
Images of Tennyson