Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Literature / Poet Datebook: August 6

English Lyric Poet and Poet Laureate  
 

Life and works of Alfred Lord Tennyson, considered most important poet of the Victorian era. His subjects include Arthurian legends and classic mythology.

   

Alfred Lord Tennyson was an English poet laureate, one of the finest lyric poets in the English language. He wrote the epic Idylls of the King. Many of his poems are famous, including "Charge of the Light Brigade," "Tears, Idle Tears," "In Memoriam," and the farewell "Crossing the Bar." His poetry is lyrical, dramatic, elegiac and epic.  

Early Life of Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1^st Baron Tennyson, was born on August 6, 1809, in idyllic Somersby, Lincolnshire, one of the twelve children of a clergyman George Clayton Tennyson, and his wife, Elizabeth Fytche Tennyson. He was educated by his father, who encouraged his interest in poetry. By age 12, he was writing epic poems and memorising Horace's odes. twelve Before age 15, he was writing verse plays and poetry in the style of Lord Byron.

Tennyson's Earlier Poems

When he was 18, Tennyson entered Cambridge University. That year some of his childhood poetry was published, along with poems by his brothers Frederick and Charles Tennyson Turner, in Poems by Two Brothers. At Cambridge Tennyson continued to write poetry and became close friend with English poet Arthur Henry Hallam.   

The Prolific Poet

Tennyson's second volume of poetry, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, contained the popular "Mariana". In his next collection are poems now regarded as being among his best, including "The Lady of Shalott" and "The Lotus Eaters." The following year Hallam died of brain hemmorhage, aged 22. Tennyson was deeply depressed, and he published little for ten years but continued to write. 

 

"The Lady of Shalott" is a lyrical ballad by the 19th-century English poet Alfred Tennyson. Inspired by the 13th-century short prose text Donna di Scalotta, it tells the tragic story of Elaine of Astolat, a young noblewoman stranded in a tower up the river from Camelot. One of the poet's best-known works, its vivid medieval romanticism and enigmatic symbolism inspired many painters, especially the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers, and other artists and authors.  Below video, "The Lady of Shallot" is provided to YouTube by Kontor New Media GmbH, sung by Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter. 

In Memoriam A.H.H. by Alfred, Lord TENNYSON read by Elizabeth Klett | Full Audio Book. Youtube, uploaded by LibriVox. Accessed August 6, 2022.

 

By 24, he reached full creative juices in his Poems. Despite this, he was dogged by financial woes. It was only after Queen Victoria appointed him poet laureate in 1850 did his fortune change. He held the post for 40 years. In 1880, he was also given a lordship.  

The two-volume Poems of 1842 established Tennyson as the most popular poet of the day. The new work included "Morte d'Arthur" and "Ulysses." In 1850, Tennyson was appointed Poet Laureate. The same year he published his greatest work, "In Memoriam," a tribute to the memory of Arthur Hallam. The famous "Charge of the Light Brigade" was published in the collection Maud.

 

Later Years of  Tennyson

 

Tennyson traveled widely soaking himself in English legend and history.  In his later years Tennyson devoted himself to writing his epic Idylls of the King, based on the legends of King Arthur. One of his last poems, a farewell, was "Crossing the Bar." In 1875, Tennyson published his first play, Queen Mary, and other dramatic works including Harold (1876), Becket (1884), and The Cup (1881). 

Alfred, Lord Tennyson died at the age of 83, on October 6, 1892.

Works by Alfred Lord Tennyson 

Poems by Two Brothers, 1827

Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, 1830

Poems, 1832

Poems, in two Volumes, 1842

The Princess, 1847

In Memoriam, 1850

Maud, 1855

Idylls of the King, 1859-1885

Queen Mary, drama, 1875

Harold, drama, 1876

The Cup, drama, 1881

Becket, verse drama, 1884

The Foresters, 1892

Photo Credit

Alfred, Lord Tennyson.  Public Domain.

Resources: 

1. Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers, 2002

2. Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, Larousse, 1994  

3. The Cambridge Literature in English, New Edition, edited by Ian Ousby,Cambridge, 1993

(c) August 2009. Updated August 6, 2022. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.