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Alfred Tennyson
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Alfred Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire. He was the third or twelve children, the first of who had died in infancy (16-17). His father, George Tennyson, a dispossessed eldest son, was a clergyman who suffered from black moods and epilepsy (6, 12, 28-29.) During Alfred’s childhood, the Tennyson household was defined by George’s heavy drinking, neglect and violent moods (48-49) and his mother’s indulgent but lax management. She loved animals and gave her pet monkey the run of the house; Alfred once tamed and kept a pet owl (18-19). Thus, "Alfred found himself at eleven acting as virtual head of the family . . . . He [Alfred] would take one child on his knee, put another between his legs in front of the fire, and prop two others against him as he told them stories. When he read aloud, his dramatic ability and the beauty of deep voice made the family think he would become an actor" (35). Alfred’s gift for language asserted itself in the midst despite this chaotic environment. He claimed to have composed poetry before he could read, once recalling “I was in the habit on a stormy day of spreading my arms to the wind and crying out ‘I hear a voice that's speaking in the wind,’ and the words ‘far, far away’ had always a strange charm for me (21). His brother Charles also wrote in poetry and in 1827, they published a collection of their works anonymously. The volume was called Poems by Two Brothers, even though their brother Frederick also contributed his work (44) Beginning at the age of 7, Alfred attended Louth Grammar School, where he was bullied and terrified by teachers and students (29-31). He left the school after four years and was tutored thereafter, mostly by his increasingly erratic father, who suffered a complete breakdown in 1827, when Alfred was eighteen (32-51). He finally escaped the household in 1829, when he joined his elder brothers at Trinity College, Cambridge. Still, he was lonely and socially awkward, a condition probably worsened by his severe myopia and consequent inability to gauge reactions to his eccentric personality and behavior (93). Nonetheless, he made one important and life changing connection. At Cambridge, he met Arthur Henry Hallam, a promising young intellectual of whom Tennyson later declared "He was as near perfection as a mortal man can be" (73) and joined the Apostles, an elite clandestine society that debated philosophical, aesthetic, religious and scientific questions (86). Due to his shy reluctance to present an essay for debate, he was an official member of the society for only a short time. However, he continued on as an honorary member and the other members, who considered him a prodigy, fostered and encouraged his literary efforts (87-92). Tennyson’s career as a poet began in earnest in 1830 with the publication of Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, which contained two of Tennyson's most read early poems, "The Kraken" and "Mariana." It also included “The Poet” and "The Poet's Mind," poems which explored the problem of the marginal role of the artist in society, an issue he returned to "The Lady of Shallot" and "The Palace of Art," published two years later in Poems. The first book was kindly received and Tennyson’s reputation began to be established when Hallam provided a complimentary review, published anonymously, for the Englishman’s Magazine (110-111) Poems, on the other hand garnered mostly negative attention (166-172). Between 1829 and 1833, Tennyson continued his “emotionally intense” (73) relationship with Hallam, who eventually became engaged to Emily Tennyson. In 1833, Hallam died suddenly in Paris of apoplexy (182). Tennyson was shattered by Hallam's death and declined to attend his funeral; however, he was not creatively impaired. In the wake of Hallam's death he composed "Tithonus” and “Ulysses” (186), a poem that argues the case for heroic perseverance in the face of death. More notably, on the day he was notified of Hallam’s death, he began writing the elegy In Memoriam. Tennyson continued working on In Memoriam until 1842. However, he did not always have a long poem in mind. In his memoirs, he reported, "'The sections were written at many different places, and as the phases of our intercourse came to my memory suggested them. I did not write them with any view of weaving them into a whole, or for publication, until I found that I had written so many'" (Hill 118). The poem was finally published in 1850. In the interim, Tennyson published a two-volume Poems, which included the revised and now standard versions of “The Lady of Shallot” and “The Lotus Eaters” as well as his best known dramatic monologues (“Ulysses," Saint Simeon Stylites" and Tithonus") and “Morte d’Arthur.” The work was a critical success; it lead Edgar Allen Poe to remark “I am not sure that Tennyson is not the greatest of poets” (Martin 267). Despite his emerging literary success, Tennyson’s personal life remained difficult. In 1840, A fear of mental illness, economic instability and simple indecision led him to break his engagement to Emily Sellwood (150; 247) He invested heavily in the production of a steam-powered machine that carved wood (254). The collapse of the woodworking scheme led to financial and emotional difficulties (268-272). Eventually, he sought treatment at a series of "water establishments" (276-277). Life changed in 1850 due to three notable events. First, he was reconciled and married to Emily Sellwood. They had two sons. In addition, In Memoriam was published to “unqualified praise” and several editions were soon sold out (341). Finally, he was recognized as Britain’s most important living poet when he was appointed Poet Laureate upon the death of William Wordsworth. Tennyson continued writing and publishing for the rest of his life. Works like Maud, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and Idylls of the King only served to increase his reputation and popularity. In fact, upon ascending to the Laureateship, he became a fixture in literary society. He met the day’s greatest writers, including Thackeray, George Meredith, Lewis Carroll and Robert Browning. Browning was actually present at the christening of his eldest son, Hallam. He often read his poetry aloud in public; some recordings survive to this day. At times, Tennyson’s hypochondria, self-absorption, eccentricity and odd social skills compromised and strained many friendships (410-428). Dante Gabriel Rossetti recalled a dinner party at which he read from Maud for over two hours (393-394). Nonetheless, he maintained his social standing. In 1862, he met Queen Victoria and in 1886 was granted a Baronry. That same year was marred by the death of his son Lionel. Tennyson passed away years six years later, in 1892, probably due to complication from influenza and gout (580).
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Tennyson by Julia Margaret Cameron
"Mariana" by Julia Margaret Cameron |
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