Analysis of Lord Tennyson (a) Representative Poets (b) Artist, (c) Poet of Nature (d) Thinker
INTRODUCTION
In oracle to form a correct estimate of Tennyson as a poet, we must consider him as (a) a representative poets (b) an artist, (c) a poet nature, and (d) a thinker
A GREAT REPRESENTATIVE POET
Alfred Lord Tennyson, often referred to simply as Lord Tennyson, is considered one of the most representative poets of the Victorian era. His poetry embodies the spirit and themes of the time, reflecting the values, concerns, and ideals of the Victorian society. Tennyson's works were highly regarded by his contemporaries and had a significant influence on the literary landscape of his era.
Truly, Tennyson is a representative poet, one who represents his age not in fragrant but completely, in all its manifold variety and complexity. According to Hayden White, he was to Victorian England what three centuries earlier Spenser was to the England of Elizabeth, and much that is most deeply characteristic of the Victorious spirit entered into the texture of his writings. As Stopford Brooke has said: “For more than sixty years he lived close to the present life of England, as far as he was capable of comprehending and sympathizing with its movements; and he in wove what he left concerning it into his poetry”. The extraordinary diversity of his work is itself typical of the immerse complexity of his age. “He work on classical , semantic , and modern subjects on subjects taken from humble and rustic life ; on English history and Celtic legend ; on the deep eat problems of philosophy and religion ; and the range of his method and style is scarcely less remarkable than that of his matter”.
Thus, Tennyson's poetry captures the essence of Victorian sensibilities, emphasizing topics such as love, loss, nature, social issues, and the exploration of the human condition. His poems often showcase the conflict between tradition and progress, the tension between faith and doubt, and the exploration of the individual's role in society. Tennyson's poetry reflects the Victorian fascination with beauty, romance, and the exploration of the self.
HIS GREATNESS AS AN ARTIST
Alfred Lord Tennyson is a great representative poet, but he is still greatening as an artist. His mastery of language, use of vivid imagery, and skillful crafting of poetic forms demonstrate his artistic prowess. Tennyson had a keen sense of aesthetics and was known for his meticulous attention to detail in his works. His poems are characterized by their musicality and rhythmic quality, with carefully chosen words and evocative descriptions that paint vivid pictures in the reader's mind.
Tennyson's artistry is also evident in his ability to capture the complexities of human emotions and experiences. Whether depicting love, grief, or the struggle for meaning in the face of a changing world, Tennyson's artistry allows readers to empathize with the characters and situations he presents. His poems are often multi-layered, inviting readers to engage with the nuances and symbolism embedded within his artistic creations. He was a most careful written, severing what he had written again and again. Among the elements which make up his art , the following may be mentioned :
(a) A minute asseveration of nature , which furnished him with a store of poetic deceptions and imagery ;
(b) a scholarly appreciation of all that is most picturesque in the literature of the past,
(c) an exquisite precision in the use of words and phrases;
(d) the picturesque and aptness of his simile,
(e) an avoidance of the common palace,
(f) his use of repetition and assonance
(g) the expressive harmonies of his rhythm , and
(h) the subtle melody of his diction.
Praising Tennyson a literary artist writes, “No one excels Tennyson in the deft application of sound to sense and in the subtle and pervading employment of alliteration and vowel music”
HIS ORIGINALITY AS A NATURE POET
While Alfred Lord Tennyson is not typically categorized as a "poet of nature" in the same vein as, say, William Wordsworth or John Keats, his works do contain elements of nature and natural imagery. Tennyson often employs nature as a backdrop to explore human emotions and experiences. He frequently uses natural scenes, such as landscapes, seasons, and animals, as metaphors or symbols to convey deeper meanings.
In Tennyson's poetry, nature serves as a reflection of the human condition, emphasizing themes of transience, renewal, and the interconnectedness of all living things. His descriptions of natural settings are often vivid and evocative, creating a sense of atmosphere and enhancing the emotional impact of his poems. Though not primarily focused on nature, Tennyson's skillful incorporation of natural elements demonstrates his ability to infuse his poetry with the beauty and symbolism of the natural world.
Interestingly, Tennyson is a great and original nature poet, and in his nature poetry the impact on him of contemporary science can best be studied. It is seen in the minuteness and exactness of his observation. His attitude to nature is not that of Wordsworth. His view of nature is that of science that nature is full of the brutal struggle for existence. He finds her, red in tooth and claw.” He does not paint her as a kindly mother. Looking at nature the poet does not find any evidence to support the human faith in the immortality of the soul. He knew how to relate the natural background to the mood of a lyric or a longer poem. The Lotus Eaters is the best example of interior landscape painting. The poem displays his unrivaled power of observation. Tennyson is simply superb in using nature to intensify human moods. His skill in landscape painting is remarkable; the whole landscape is vivified thought a few apt touches.
Modern critics believe that the best of Tennyson is not to be found in his longer and more ambitious poems, but in his lyrics. “The typical Tennyson ion lyric is the lyric of mood a poem in which what is expressed is not a simple feeling but a complex mood, which is rendered in terms of a natural setting.” Tennyson wrote lyrics of many kinds. For example In Memoriam in a long elegy composed of many short lyrics. The elegy was peculiarly suited to Tennyson melancholy and detective temper. Tennyson also wrote a number of lyrical poems dealing with classical subject. Thithonus is an example. The poem is not quite dramatic it reveals a feeling lather than a character. His patriotic lyrics also deserve mention, some of which we popular in England even to day.
NOT A GREAT POET OF MAN
While Tennyson is really great as a nature poet; he has less power of dealing with men and women or with the passions. He deals with types rather than with individual. Says Haydon “All his best men are of one pattern – noble, courteous, chivalrous, a little deficient in force and passion, yet bowel in adventure and temperate in success; the patter in short, of just such an English gentleman as Tennyson him self was. His women are hardly ever clearly seen- they are either mere sketches or pictures which the features are in congruous.” That is one of the reasons why he failed in drama. He is too self centered, too lyric, too truer; his dramatic personae a free hand; he makes them say not what they mean, but what he means.
As a poet man, he concentrates the noblest of English main hood into one supreme type. That a man should love truth , country and freedom , that he should serve God and his lady , that he should reverence all womanhood and be tender to all weakness , that he should all womanhood and be tender to all weakness, that he should strike his blow for the right and care nothing for rewired . Hence he was the poet of man, but not of men.
HIS WEAKNESS AS A THINKER
As a thinker, Tennyson lacks originality and depth. His thought is puerile, and it is this aspect of his poetry which has done the greatest harm to his reputation. According to Compton – Rickett “No poet was more exercised by religious problems them he; and no poet was more sensitive to scientific thought than he”. His attitude is one of compromise between science and religion. From In Memoriam we can gather much about his view on God, the immortality of the soul and the governance of the universe. He has a firm faith in the supremacy of law and order which he finds at work throughout Nature. His poetry is erotically fuliginous in temper. He has a faith in God and His love and good her shines like a clear and quiet flame in his poetry.
Alfred Lord Tennyson was not primarily known as a philosopher or a profound thinker in the same way as some other poets and writers of his time. However, his poetry does reflect philosophical and contemplative elements. Tennyson often delves into existential questions, explores the nature of faith and doubt, and reflects on the human condition.
In his works, Tennyson grapples with the tensions between reason and emotion, tradition and progress, and the search for meaning in a changing world. He contemplates the complexities of human nature, the limitations of human knowledge, and the mysteries of life and death. While his reflections may not be as extensive or systematic as those found in the works of philosophers, Tennyson's poetry offers insights and reflections that invite readers to ponder and engage with deeper existential and philosophical questions.
CONCLUSLON: HIS REAL GREATNESS
Tennyson has expressed himself on various matters, political, social, religious and ethical, but his philosophy is neither great nor inspiring. To-day, he is valued not as a thinker, but as a consummate literary artist. Says Hayden White, “NO poet even understood more fully the glory of word”, none has sounded a music mere such, more varied, more pure in style, more beautiful in colors and tone. To study him is to learn the possibilities of our native speech: to love him is an artistic education.”
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References
1. Hayden White - Wikipedia. (2012, February 8). Hayden White - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayden_White
2. The complete works of Alfred, lord Tennyson .. : Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron, 1809-1892 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/completeworksofa00tenn
3. A history of English literature : Compton-Rickett, Arthur, 1869-1937 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofenglish00comprich
4. Studies in poetry : Brooke, Stopford Augustus, 1832-1916 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/studiesinpoetry00broouoft
5. Morte D Arthur : Tennyson Lord : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.85895
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