Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
by Robert W. Watson
(14 June 2002)

Born the fourth of twelve children, Tennyson was home educated by his father, who served as the rector of Somersby and who had a somber and moody disposition. After this initial instruction, Tennyson went to Trinity College at Cambridge, where he joined a literary society called "The Apostles." The mission of the society of undergraduates was messianic, that is, the members were dedicated to evangelizing the world with a new gospel, a gospel of social concern and dignity in labor. The society not only honed his debating skills and his knowledge concerning literature, philosophy, and politics, Tennyson developed close friendships, especially with Arthur Henry Hallam, the son of a historian. However, in 1831 Tennyson had to leave Cambridge before graduating, because his father died, and it was impossible for him to continue his studies.

Getting a degree mattered little, however, because Tennyson had set his goal to be a poet. As a poet, Tennyson offered two volumes of his poetry to the reading public in 1830 and 1832 respectively. The critics were not at all very kind to the young poet. In addition to the adverse reception of his poetry, Tennyson lost his friend Arthur Hallam, who died quite unexpectedly of a fever in Vienna, Italy. The combination of these events caused Tennyson to publish very little during a decade called the "Ten Years' Period of Silence." Nevertheless, Tennyson did write in private and studied in order to develop his skills. As a result, one could argue that no English poet became more exacting with his work than Tennyson. The value of criticism is that it does reveal shortcomings, and if the artist has the courage, he can conscientiously improve his craft.

In 1842, Tennyson published his Poems in Two Volumes. The first volume was a reworking of his early poetry, and the second volume contained new poems. This time the public accepted his poetry better, and Tennyson soon became known as an up-and-coming poet in Great Britain. Just three years later, Tennyson received a governmental Civil List pension of £200 per year. However, in 1850 when he published his wonderful elegy, In Memoriam, Tennyson became famous. During the same year, he married Emily Sellwood (after a fourteen year engagement), and with the death of William Wordsworth, Tennyson was appointed as Poet Laureate. Later, Tennyson would receive honorary degrees from Oxford and Cambridge. In addition to this, Queen Victoria conferred upon the poet a knighthood.

During his lifetime, Tennyson enjoyed an immense popularity, especially with the publication of The Idylls of the King (1859) and Enoch Arden (1864). Unfortunately, the public tastes change, and during the start of the twentieth century, Victorianism in all of its manifestations, whether in literature or politics, came under attack. Tennyson became the primary target, because he was believed to have epitomized the Victorian mindset. The traits that were especially disliked were the Victorians' sentimentalism, their perceived superiority in moral behavior, and their quick readiness to compromise. Tennyson's reputation fell as a result of severe criticism; however, during the past forty years, the great poet has enjoyed a notable recovery.

Tennyson is his best when writing lyrical poetry. He does seem to founder when attempting poetry that centers on philosophical or theological ideas, which tends to be quite shallow (Idylls of the King is an exception). Tennyson's religion is a transcendentalism that recognizes man as spiritual, but his salvation in not found in the Bible, but in social reform and political conservatism. Also, Tennyson tried his hand with drama, writing seven plays, and while not successful, his plays such as Queen Mary (1875) and Becket (1884) represent his desire to experiment with poetry. The poetry of Tennyson has, unlike romantic poetry, a didactic purpose. The themes of faith and doubt are still relevant today, and for this reason, Tennyson continues to speak to sensitive souls today.

Tennyson died in 1892 and was honored by his country when he was buried in Westminster Abbey.