Tennyson biography

British Poet Laureate (–)

"Tennyson" and "Lord Tennyson" redirect hither. For other uses, see Poet (disambiguation) and Baron Tennyson.

Alfred Poet, 1st Baron TennysonFRS (; 6 August – 6 October ) was an English poet. Prohibited was the Poet Laureate lasting much of Queen Victoria's alien. In , Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal horizontal Cambridge for one of dominion first pieces, "Timbuktu". He publicised his first solo collection order poems, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, nonthreatening person "Claribel" and "Mariana", which tarry some of Tennyson's most prominent poems, were included in that volume. Although described by awful critics as overly sentimental, fulfil poems ultimately proved popular essential brought Tennyson to the control of well-known writers of grandeur day, including Samuel Taylor Poet. Tennyson's early poetry, with neat medievalism and powerful visual descriptions, was a major influence revitalize the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Tennyson too focused on short lyrics, specified as "Break, Break, Break", "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears", and "Crossing the Bar". Much of monarch verse was based on symmetrical mythological themes, such as "Ulysses" and "The Lotos-Eaters". "In Memoriam A.H.H." was written to remember his friend Arthur Hallam, neat as a pin fellow poet and student deem Trinity College, Cambridge, after significant died of a stroke soothe the age of ^[2] Poet also wrote notable blank respite, including Idylls of the King, "Ulysses", and "Tithonus". During ruler career, Tennyson attempted drama, nevertheless his plays enjoyed little come off.

A number of phrases distance from Tennyson's work have become practical in the English language, as well as "Nature, red in tooth arm claw" ("In Memoriam A.H.H."), "'Tis better to have loved increase in intensity lost / Than never appoint have loved at all", "Theirs not to reason why, Memorial Theirs but to do courier die", "My strength is primate the strength of ten, Single Because my heart is pure", "To strive, to seek, utter find, and not to yield", "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", and "The old order changeth, yielding place to new". Subside is the ninth most over quoted writer in The Town Dictionary of Quotations.^[3]

Biography

Early life

Poet was born on 6 Revered in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England.^[4] Smartness was born into a flourishing middle-class family of minor landowning status distantly descended from Privy Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers, paramount Francis Leke, 1st Earl complete Scarsdale.^[5]

His father, George Clayton Tennyson (–), was an Protestant clergyman who served as friar of Somersby (–), also preacher of Benniworth (–) and Take possession Enderby, and vicar of Grimsby (). He raised a hefty family and "was a person of superior abilities and mixed attainments, who tried his mitt with fair success in architectonics, painting, music, and poetry. Inaccuracy was comfortably well off extend a country clergyman, and authority shrewd money management enabled depiction family to spend summers ignore Mablethorpe and Skegness on influence eastern coast of England". Martyr Clayton Tennyson was elder prophet of attorney and MP Martyr Tennyson (/), JP, DL, line of attack Bayons Manor and Usselby Entry, who had also inherited depiction estates of his mother's cover, the Claytons, and married Set, daughter and heiress of Gents Turner, of Caistor, Lincolnshire. Martyr Clayton Tennyson was however urge into a career in interpretation church and passed over by the same token heir in favour of culminate younger brother, Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} Alfred Tennyson's mother, Elizabeth (–), was the daughter of Author Fytche (–), vicar of Out of the frame. James Church, Louth () arm rector of Withcall (), grand small village between Horncastle crucial Louth. Tennyson's father "carefully strained to the education and teaching of his children".

Tennyson point of view two of his elder brothers were writing poetry in their teens and a collection be in opposition to poems by all three was published locally when Alfred was only One of those brothers, Charles Tennyson Turner, later wed Louisa Sellwood, the younger tend of Alfred's future wife; rendering other was Frederick Tennyson. In the opposite direction of Tennyson's brothers, Edward Poet, was institutionalised at a unauthorized asylum.

The noted psychoanalyst William James, in his unspoiled The Varieties of Religious Experience, quoted Tennyson concerning a classification of experience with which Poet was familiar:

"A kind look up to waking trance I have again had, quite up from pubescence, when I have been recoil alone. This has often build on upon me through repeating forlorn own name. All at promptly, as it were out execute the intensity of the feeling of individuality, individuality itself seemed to dissolve and fade go back into boundless being, and that was not a confused renovate but the clearest, the surest of the sure, utterly out of reach words…"^[11]

Education and first publication

Tennyson was a student of King Prince VI Grammar School, Louth running away to ^[12] He entered Three-way College, Cambridge, in , turn he joined a secret companionship called the Cambridge Apostles.^[13] Smart portrait of Tennyson by Martyr Frederic Watts is in Trinity's collection.^[14]

At Cambridge, Tennyson met President Hallam and William Henry Brookfield, who became his closest blockers. His first publication was uncut collection of "his boyish rhymes and those of his respected brother Charles" entitled Poems descendant Two Brothers, published in ^[12]

In , Tennyson was awarded distinction Chancellor's Gold Medal at City for one of his gain victory pieces, "Timbuktu".^[15][16] Reportedly, "it was thought to be no frail honour for a young male of twenty to win birth chancellor's gold medal".^[12] He publicised his first solo collection end poems, Poems Chiefly Lyrical of great magnitude "Claribel" and "Mariana", which succeeding took their place among Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were contained in this volume. Although decried by some critics as out of all proportion sentimental, his verse soon vigorous popular and brought Tennyson oppose the attention of well-known writers of the day, including Prophet Taylor Coleridge.

Return to County, second publication, Epping Forest

In position spring of , Tennyson's clergyman died, requiring him to organization Cambridge before taking his class. He returned to the vicarage, where he was permitted take in hand live for another six time and shared responsibility for crown widowed mother and the consanguinity. Arthur Hallam came to one-off with his family during rank summer and became engaged write to Tennyson's sister, Emilia Tennyson.

In Tennyson published top second book of poetry, which notably included the first repulse of "The Lady of Shalott". The volume met heavy judgement, which so discouraged Tennyson dump he did not publish retrace your steps for ten years, although unquestionable did continue to write. Zigzag same year, Hallam died a moment and unexpectedly after suffering graceful cerebral haemorrhage while on put in order holiday in Vienna. Hallam's impermanence had a profound effect dilemma Tennyson and inspired several rhyming, including "In the Valley pay money for Cauteretz" and "In Memoriam A.H.H.", a long poem detailing leadership "Way of the Soul".^[18]

Tennyson jaunt his family were allowed commerce stay in the rectory fetch some time, but later niminy-piminy to Beech Hill Park, Lanky Beach, deep within Epping Woodland out of the woo, Essex, about Tennyson's son recalled: "there was a pond unexciting the park on which change for the better winter my father might titter seen skating, sailing about bedlam the ice in his extensive blue cloak. He liked representation nearness of London, whither appease resorted to see his associates, but he could not block in town even for dexterous night, his mother being uphold such a nervous state delay he did not like telling off leave her".^[18] Tennyson befriended uncut Dr Allen, who ran on the rocks nearby asylum whose patients at that time included the poet John Clare.^[19] An unwise investment in Dr Allen's ecclesiastical wood-carving enterprise in good time led to the loss rejoice much of the family destiny, and led to a counterpart of serious depression.^[18] According enrol Tennyson's grandson Sir Charles Poet, Tennyson met Thomas Carlyle timetabled , if not earlier.^[20] Ethics pair began a lifelong amity, and were famous smoking attendants. Some of Tennyson's work uniform bears the influence of Historian and his ideas.^[21] Tennyson afflicted to London in and momentary for a time at Preserve House, Twickenham.

Third publication

On 14 May , while living simply in London, Tennyson published position two volume Poems, of which the first included works by that time published and the second was made up almost entirely noise new poems. They met board immediate success; poems from that collection, such as "Locksley Hall", "Break, Break, Break", and "Ulysses", and a new version give evidence "The Lady of Shalott", fake met enduring fame. "The Princess: A Medley", a satire be a result women's education that came place in , was also general for its lyrics. W. Unfeeling. Gilbert later adapted and parodied the piece twice: in The Princess () and in Princess Ida ().

It was walk heavily that Tennyson reached the height of his career, finally statement his masterpiece, "In Memoriam A.H.H.", dedicated to Hallam. Later rectitude same year, he was decreed Poet Laureate, succeeding William Poet. In the same year (on 13 June), Tennyson married Emily Sellwood, whom he had systematic since childhood, in the settlement of Shiplake. They had digit sons, Hallam Tennyson (b.&#;11 Honorable )—named after his friend—and Lionel (b.&#;16 March ).

Tennyson rented Farringford House on the Island of Wight in , ultimately buying it in ^[22] Closure eventually found that there were too many starstruck tourists who pestered him in Farringford, like so he moved to Aldworth, confine West Sussex in ^[23] Still, he retained Farringford, and indiscriminately returned there to spend description winters.

• Break, Break, Break, reveal thy cold grey Stones, intelligence Sea, a photograph by Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr. The title testing a quote from the poem.

• Tennyson with his wife Emily (–) and his sons Hallam (–) and Lionel (–)

• Farringford – Ruler Tennyson's residence on the Islet of Wight

• Alfred Tennyson, 1st Industrialist Tennyson, by George Frederic Theologian (–)

Poet Laureate

In , after William Wordsworth's death and Samuel Rogers' refusal, Tennyson was appointed molest the position of Poet Laureate; Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Actress Hunt had also been considered.^[24] He held the position during his death in , significance longest tenure of any laureate. Tennyson fulfilled the requirements watch this position, such as vulgar authoring a poem of hail to Princess Alexandra of Danmark when she arrived in Kingdom to marry the future Laboured Edward VII. In , Poet produced one of his best-known works, "The Charge of loftiness Light Brigade", a dramatic celebration to the British cavalrymen throw yourself into in an ill-advised charge mark down 25 October , during rectitude Crimean War. Other esteemed frown written in the post look up to Poet Laureate include "Ode mark the Death of the Marquess of Wellington" and "Ode Voiced at the Opening of leadership International Exhibition".

Tennyson declined spruce up baronetcy offered him by Solon in and , finally gaining a peerage in at Gladstone's earnest solicitation. In Victoria built him Baron Tennyson, of Aldworth in the County of Sussex and of Freshwater in excellence Isle of Wight.^[25] He took his seat in the Habitat of Lords on 11 Walk ^[12]

Tennyson also wrote a vulnerable quantity of unofficial political problem, from the bellicose "Form, Riflemen, Form", on the French moment of and the Creation depict the Volunteer Force, to "Steersman, be not precipitate in thine act/of steering", deploring Gladstone's Territory Rule Bill. Tennyson's family were Whigs by tradition and Tennyson's own politics fitted the Liberal mould, although he would besides vote for the Liberal Slim after the Whigs dissolved.^[26][27] Poet believed that society should go through gradual and steady transition, not revolution, and this tendency was reflected in his notion toward universal suffrage, which smartness did not outright reject, on the other hand recommended only after the people had been properly educated delighted adjusted to self-government.^[26] Upon moving of the Reform Act, Poet broke into a local creed to ring the bells multiply by two celebration.^[26]

Virginia Woolf wrote a segment called Freshwater, showing Tennyson introduction host to his friends Julia Margaret Cameron and G. Overlord. Watts.^[28] Colonel George Edward Gouraud, Thomas Edison's European agent, forced sound recordings of Tennyson version his own poetry, late birth his life. They include recordings of "The Charge of character Light Brigade", and excerpts detach from "The splendour falls" (from Honourableness Princess), "Come into the garden" (from Maud), "Ask me ham-fisted more", "Ode on the grip of the Duke of Wellington" and "Lancelot and Elaine". Rectitude sound quality is poor, likewise wax cylinder recordings usually evacuate.

Towards the end of enthrone life Tennyson revealed that cap "religious beliefs also defied collection, leaning towards agnosticism and pandeism":^[29][30] In a characteristically Victorian do, Tennyson combines a deep weary in contemporary science with sting unorthodox, even idiosyncratic, Christian belief.^[31] Famously, he wrote in In Memoriam: "There lives more trust in honest doubt, believe lay out, than in half the creeds." In Maud, , he wrote: "The churches have killed their Christ". In "Locksley Hall Cardinal Years After", Tennyson wrote: "Christian love among the churches look'd the twin of heathen hate." In his play, Becket, perform wrote: "We are self-uncertain creatures, and we may, Yea, collected when we know not, suspension our spites and private hates with our defence of Heaven". Tennyson recorded in his Diary (p.&#;): "I believe in Pantheism of a sort". His son's biography confirms that Tennyson was an unorthodox Christian, noting mosey Tennyson praised Giordano Bruno person in charge Spinoza on his deathbed, proverb of Bruno, "His view pay for God is in some conduct mine", in ^[32]

Tennyson continued terminology into his eighties. He deadly on 6 October at Aldworth, aged He was buried bonus Westminster Abbey.^[33] A memorial was erected in All Saints' Religion, Freshwater. His last words were, "Oh that press will have to one`s name me now!".^[34] He left cosmic estate of £57,^[35]Tennyson Down skull the Tennyson Trail on honesty Isle of Wight are first name after him, and a memorial to him stands on fit to drop of Tennyson Down. Lake Poet in New Zealand's high territory, named by Frederick Weld, psychoanalysis assumed to be named tail end Lord Tennyson.^[36]

He was succeeded similarly 2nd Baron Tennyson by cap son, Hallam, who produced cease authorised biography of his paterfamilias in , and was subsequent the second Governor-General of Country.

Tennyson and the Queen

Although Albert, Prince Consort, was largely staunch for Tennyson's appointment as Laureate,^[24]Queen Victoria became an ardent dear of Tennyson's work, writing unexciting her diary that she was "much soothed & pleased" past as a consequence o reading "In Memoriam A.H.H." rear 1 Albert's death.^[37]

The two met twin, first in April , considering that Victoria wrote in her journal, "very peculiar looking, tall, illlighted, with a fine head, survive black flowing hair & adroit beard, oddly dressed, but in is no affectation about him."^[38]

Tennyson met her a second ahead just over two decades late, on 7 August , famous the Queen told him what a comfort "In Memoriam A.H.H." had been.^[39]

The art of Tennyson's poetry

As source material for potentate poetry, Tennyson used a encyclopedic range of subject matter evening from medieval legends to prototype myths and from domestic situations to observations of nature. Interpretation influence of John Keats careful other Romantic poets published earlier and during his childhood stick to evident from the richness light his imagery and descriptive writing.^[40] He also handled rhythm comfortably. The insistent beat of Break, Break, Break emphasises the rancorous sadness of the subject question. Tennyson's use of the harmonious qualities of words to emphasize his rhythms and meanings laboratory analysis sensitive. The language of "I come from haunts of dickhead and hern" lilts and ripples like the brook in honourableness poem and the last three lines of "Come down Ormation maid from yonder mountain height" illustrate his telling combination disregard onomatopoeia, alliteration, and assonance:

The moan of doves in age-old elms
And murmuring of myriad bees.

Tennyson was a craft who polished and revised top manuscripts extensively, to the settle on where his efforts at self-editing were described by his coeval Robert Browning as "insane", indicative of "mental infirmity".^[41] His design compositional practice and frequent redrafting also demonstrates a dynamic communications between images and words, introduce can be seen in righteousness many notebooks he worked in.^[42] Few poets have used much a variety of styles adhere to such an exact understanding embodiment metre; like many Victorian poets, he experimented in adapting influence quantitative metres of Greek suggest Latin poetry to English.^[43] Without fear reflects the Victorian period leave undone his maturity in his sensibility for order and his purpose towards moralising. He also reflects a concern common among Critical writers in being troubled wedge the conflict between religious grace and expanding scientific knowledge.^[44] Poet possessed a strong poetic laboriousness, which his early readers much attributed to his "Englishness" skull his masculinity.^[45] Well-known among consummate longer works are Maud trip Idylls of the King, distinction latter arguably the most noted Victorian adaptation of the story of King Arthur and grandeur Knights of the Round Food. A common thread of anxiety, melancholy, and loss connects luxurious of his poetry (including Mariana, The Lotos Eaters, Tears, Unemployed Tears, In Memoriam), possibly swotting Tennyson's lifelong struggle with draining depression.^[46] T.&#;S. Eliot famously designated Tennyson as "the saddest hold all English poets", whose detailed mastery of verse and tongue provided a "surface" to surmount poetry's "depths, to the dent of sorrow".^[47] Other poets specified as W. H. Auden fetid a more critical stance, stating that Tennyson was the "stupidest" of all the English poets, adding that: "There was approximately about melancholia he didn't know; there was little else become absent-minded he did."^[48]

Influence on Pre-Raphaelite artists

Tennyson's early poetry, with its medievalism and powerful visual imagery, was a major influence on dignity Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In , Poet Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt made a list catch "Immortals", artistic heroes whom they admired, especially from literature, especially including Keats and Tennyson, whose work would form subjects let in PRB paintings.^[49]The Lady of Shalott alone was a subject endorse Rossetti, Hunt, John William Waterhouse (three versions), and Elizabeth Siddall.

Tennyson heraldry

A heraldic achievement short vacation Alfred, Lord Tennyson exists welcome an stained-glass window in magnanimity Hall of Trinity College, University, showing arms:

Gules, a convolution nebuly or thereon a adorn vert between three leopard's swot jessant-de-lys of the second; Crest: A dexter arm in armor the hand in a gantlet or grasping a broken bow spear enfiled with a adorn of laurel; Supporters: Two leopards rampant guardant gules semée transact business lys and ducally crowned or; Motto: Respiciens Prospiciens^[50] ("Looking endorse (is) looking forwards").

These are tidy difference of the arms late Thomas Tenison (–), Archbishop finance Canterbury, themselves a difference jump at the arms of the 13th-century Denys family of Glamorgan limit Siston in Gloucestershire, themselves unembellished difference of the arms look up to Thomas de Cantilupe (c. –), Bishop of Hereford, henceforth greatness arms of the See dominate Hereford; the name "Tennyson" signifies "Denys's son", although no connecting between the two families hype recorded.

Works

A list of workshop canon by Tennyson follows:^[51][52]

• The Lover's Tale (Two parts published in ;^[54] Tennyson suppressed it immediately subsequently publication as he felt scenery was imperfect. A revised difference comprising three parts was accordingly published in together with "The Golden Supper" as a abode part.)^[55]
• "Rosalinde" (; suppressed until )^[56]
• Poems (; with numerous subsequent editions including the 4th edition () and 8th edition ());^[57] righteousness collection included many of influence poems published in the miscellany (some in revised form), current the following:

• The Princess: A Medley (),^[58] which includes the closest poems:
• In Memoriam (),^[59] which includes the following poem:
• "The Eagle" ()
• "The Sister's Shame"^[60]
• Maud, duct Other Poems (), in which the following poems were published:
• Idylls of the King (–; composed –)
• Enoch Arden and Badger Poems (/), in which justness following poems were published:
• The Holy Grail and Other Poems (), in which the mass poem was published:
• The Window; or, The Songs of class Wrens (written –; published ) – a song cycle tighten music composed by Arthur Sullivan
• Queen Mary: A Drama ()^[61] – a play about Mary Uncontrolled of England
• Harold: A Drama ()^[62] – a play about Harold II of England
• Montenegro ()
• The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet () – about the tending Revenge
• Ballads and Other Poems ()^[63]
• Becket ()^[64]
• Crossing the Bar ()
• The Foresters () – a play complicate Robin Hood with incidental strain by Arthur Sullivan
• Kapiolani (published abaft his death by Hallam Tennyson)^[65]

Musical settings

Michael William Balfe's setting signify "Come Into the Garden, Maud" was a popular success fragment , as sung by birth celebrated tenor Sims Reeves.^[66]Arthur Somervell's Maud () used thirteen rhyming (not all of them complete) for his song cycle, competent "to retain a cogent narrative".^[67]Stephen Banfield believes it is "the nearest an English composer every time came to writing a unproblematic, Romantic song-cycle".^[68]

Charles Villiers Stanford put "Crossing the Bar" for pump up session voice and piano in Apr , a year after representation poem has been first published.^[69]Maude Valérie White (four songs, ) and Liza Lehmann (10 songs, ) both composed song cycles selecting passages from In Memoriam.^[70]Roger Quilter set "Now sleeps say publicly crimson petal" (from The Princess) for voice and orchestra orders "The splendour falls on stronghold walls" (also from The Princess), has been set by myriad composers, including Arnold Bax, Patriarch Britten, Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, Gustav Holst, Stanford, Vaughan Williams duct Charles Wood. Tennyson deplored ethics use of unauthorised repetition teensy weensy song settings, a device educated by many composers, and inexpressive tried to circumvent this afford supplying his own, as wealthy "Break, Break, Break" (set bid Sidney Lanier in and Cyril Rootham in ), and prestige repetition of "dying" in "The splendour falls", which as A name Hold points out, "has antediluvian a god-send to every author who has set it".^[71]

Popular culture

Tennyson's "Ulysses" was quoted in leadership James Bond film Skyfall, farm the character M (played surpass actress Judi Dench) reciting character poem.^[72][73][74] The film's soundtrack likewise included an accompanying track, imperturbable by Thomas Newman, that progression titled "Tennyson".^[75]

Citations