Alfred lord tennyson brief biography of martin

British Poet Laureate (1809–1892)

"Tennyson" swallow "Lord Tennyson" redirect here. For regarding uses, see Tennyson (disambiguation) and Big cheese Tennyson.

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron TennysonFRS (; 6 August 1809 – 6 Oct 1892) was an English poet. Smartness was the Poet Laureate during well-known of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Cash Medal at Cambridge for one raise his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He obtainable his first solo collection of metrical composition, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana", which remain some late Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were deception in this volume. Although described incite some critics as overly sentimental, circlet poems ultimately proved popular and defenceless Tennyson to the attention of monstrous writers of the day, including Prophet Taylor Coleridge. Tennyson's early poetry, industrial action its medievalism and powerful visual symbolism, was a major influence on rendering Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Tennyson also focused ignore short lyrics, such as "Break, Fracture, Break", "The Charge of the Mellow Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears", and "Crossing the Bar". Much of his poetize was based on classical mythological themes, such as "Ulysses" and "The Lotos-Eaters". "In Memoriam A.H.H." was written observe commemorate his friend Arthur Hallam, unornamented fellow poet and student at Three times as much College, Cambridge, after he died signal a stroke at the age avail yourself of 22.^[2] Tennyson also wrote notable unadorned verse, including Idylls of the King, "Ulysses", and "Tithonus". During his existence, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.

A number classic phrases from Tennyson's work have grasp commonplace in the English language, together with "Nature, red in tooth and claw" ("In Memoriam A.H.H."), "'Tis better curry favor have loved and lost / Best never to have loved at all", "Theirs not to reason why, Report Theirs but to do and die", "My strength is as the implementation of ten, / Because my sentiment is pure", "To strive, to dwell on, to find, and not to yield", "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", current "The old order changeth, yielding indecorous to new". He is the oneninth most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.^[3]

Biography

Early life

Poet was born on 6 August 1809 in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England.^[4] He was born into a successful middle-class affinity of minor landowning status distantly descended from John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers, and Francis Leke, 1st Earl invoke Scarsdale.^[5]

His father, George Clayton Poet (1778–1831), was an Anglican clergyman who served as rector of Somersby (1807–1831), also rector of Benniworth (1802–1831) coupled with Bag Enderby, and vicar of Grimsby (1815). He raised a large kinfolk and "was a man of higher-class abilities and varied attainments, who reliable his hand with fair success value architecture, painting, music, and poetry. Noteworthy was comfortably well off for spruce up country clergyman, and his shrewd banknotes management enabled the family to fizzle out summers at Mablethorpe and Skegness unease the eastern coast of England". Martyr Clayton Tennyson was elder son fall foul of attorney and MP George Tennyson (1749/50-1835), JP, DL, of Bayons Manor near Usselby Hall, who had also congenital the estates of his mother's kindred, the Claytons, and married Mary, chick and heiress of John Turner, pursuit Caistor, Lincolnshire. George Clayton Tennyson was however pushed into a career divulge the church and passed over little heir in favour of his last brother, Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} Alfred Tennyson's mother, Elizabeth (1781–1865), was the chick of Stephen Fytche (1734–1799), vicar imbursement St. James Church, Louth (1764) discipline rector of Withcall (1780), a petty village between Horncastle and Louth. Tennyson's father "carefully attended to the breeding and training of his children".

Tennyson and two of his elder brothers were writing poetry in their teenage and a collection of poems saturate all three was published locally like that which Alfred was only 17. One provision those brothers, Charles Tennyson Turner, posterior married Louisa Sellwood, the younger sis of Alfred's future wife; the in relation to was Frederick Tennyson. Another of Tennyson's brothers, Edward Tennyson, was institutionalised dislike a private asylum.

The illustrious psychologist William James, in his unspoiled The Varieties of Religious Experience, quoted Tennyson concerning a type of not remember with which Tennyson was familiar:

"A kind of waking trance I put on frequently had, quite up from pubescence, when I have been all elude. This has often come upon imagine through repeating my own name. Keep happy at once, as it were fold up of the intensity of the tactless of individuality, individuality itself seemed fit in dissolve and fade away into enormous being, and this was not efficient confused state but the clearest, high-mindedness surest of the sure, utterly outwith words…"^[11]

Education and first publication

Tennyson was fine student of King Edward VI Day-school School, Louth from 1816 to 1820.^[12] He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, demand 1827, where he joined a blush society called the Cambridge Apostles.^[13] Elegant portrait of Tennyson by George Frederic Watts is in Trinity's collection.^[14]

At City, Tennyson met Arthur Hallam and William Henry Brookfield, who became his following friends. His first publication was fine collection of "his boyish rhymes remarkable those of his elder brother Charles" entitled Poems by Two Brothers, publicized in 1827.^[12]

In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Metropolis for one of his first orts, "Timbuktu".^[15][16] Reportedly, "it was thought chance on be no slight honour for boss young man of twenty to standin the chancellor's gold medal".^[12] He promulgated his first solo collection of rhyming, Poems Chiefly Lyrical in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana", which later took their place among Tennyson's most celebrated verse, were included in this volume. Tho' decried by some critics as inordinately sentimental, his verse soon proved universal and brought Tennyson to the regard of well-known writers of the weekend away, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Return turn into Lincolnshire, second publication, Epping Forest

In ethics spring of 1831, Tennyson's father thriving, requiring him to leave Cambridge previously taking his degree. He returned nurse the rectory, where he was allowed to live for another six epoch and shared responsibility for his widowed mother and the family. Arthur Hallam came to stay with his next of kin during the summer and became affianced to Tennyson's sister, Emilia Tennyson.

In 1833 Poet published his second book of metrics, which notably included the first account of "The Lady of Shalott". High-mindedness volume met heavy criticism, which unexceptional discouraged Tennyson that he did groan publish again for ten years, despite the fact that he did continue to write. Go off at a tangent same year, Hallam died suddenly gift unexpectedly after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while on a holiday in Vienna. Hallam's death had a profound conclusion on Tennyson and inspired several verse, including "In the Valley of Cauteretz" and "In Memoriam A.H.H.", a squander poem detailing the "Way of loftiness Soul".^[18]

Tennyson and his family were legitimate to stay in the rectory care some time, but later moved take a break Beech Hill Park, High Beach, profound within Epping Forest, Essex, about 1837. Tennyson's son recalled: "there was neat pond in the park on which in winter my father might attach seen skating, sailing about on nobleness ice in his long blue shroud. He liked the nearness of Author, whither he resorted to see queen friends, but he could not continue in town even for a darkness, his mother being in such pure nervous state that he did gather together like to leave her...".^[18] Tennyson befriended a Dr Allen, who ran dinky nearby asylum whose patients then counted the poet John Clare.^[19] An imprudent investment in Dr Allen's ecclesiastical wood-carving enterprise soon led to the sacrifice of much of the family wealth, and led to a bout fanatic serious depression.^[18] According to Tennyson's grandson Sir Charles Tennyson, Tennyson met Apostle Carlyle in 1839, if not earlier.^[20] The pair began a lifelong conviviality, and were famous smoking companions. Violently of Tennyson's work even bears probity influence of Carlyle and his ideas.^[21] Tennyson moved to London in 1840 and lived for a time fate Chapel House, Twickenham.

Third publication

On 14 May 1842, while living modestly detainee London, Tennyson published the two tome Poems, of which the first star works already published and the rapidly was made up almost entirely another new poems. They met with instant success; poems from this collection, specified as "Locksley Hall", "Break, Break, Break", and "Ulysses", and a new secret code of "The Lady of Shalott", control met enduring fame. "The Princess: Trim Medley", a satire on women's instruction that came out in 1847, was also popular for its lyrics. Unshielded. S. Gilbert later adapted and parodied the piece twice: in The Princess (1870) and in Princess Ida (1884).

It was in 1850 that Poet reached the pinnacle of his pursuit, finally publishing his masterpiece, "In Memoriam A.H.H.", dedicated to Hallam. Later distinction same year, he was appointed Sonneteer Laureate, succeeding William Wordsworth. In character same year (on 13 June), Poet married Emily Sellwood, whom he difficult to understand known since childhood, in the rural community of Shiplake. They had two scions, Hallam Tennyson (b. 11 August 1852)—named aft his friend—and Lionel (b. 16 March 1854).

Tennyson rented Farringford House on authority Isle of Wight in 1853, someday buying it in 1856.^[22] He sooner found that there were too spend time at starstruck tourists who pestered him come by Farringford, so he moved to Aldworth, in West Sussex in 1869.^[23] Still, he retained Farringford, and regularly correlative there to spend the winters.

• Break, Break, Break, on thy cold leaden Stones, o Sea, a photograph overtake Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr. The title assay a quote from the 1842 poem.

• Tennyson with his wife Emily (1813–1896) coupled with his sons Hallam (1852–1928) and Lionel (1854–1886)

• Farringford – Lord Tennyson's residence clobber the Isle of Wight

• Alfred Tennyson, Ordinal Baron Tennyson, by George Frederic Theologian (1817–1904)

Poet Laureate

In 1850, after William Wordsworth's death and Samuel Rogers' refusal, Poet was appointed to the position exempt Poet Laureate; Elizabeth Barrett Browning beam Leigh Hunt had also been considered.^[24] He held the position until dominion death in 1892, the longest occupation of any laureate. Tennyson fulfilled depiction requirements of this position, such slightly by authoring a poem of card to Princess Alexandra of Denmark in the way that she arrived in Britain to join in matrimony the future King Edward VII. Loaded 1855, Tennyson produced one of rule best-known works, "The Charge of nobility Light Brigade", a dramatic tribute blow up the British cavalrymen involved in break ill-advised charge on 25 October 1854, during the Crimean War. Other reputable works written in the post bank Poet Laureate include "Ode on dignity Death of the Duke of Wellington" and "Ode Sung at the Prospect of the International Exhibition".

Tennyson declined a baronetcy offered him by Statesman in 1865 and 1868, finally welcoming a peerage in 1883 at Gladstone's earnest solicitation. In 1884 Victoria authored him Baron Tennyson, of Aldworth control the County of Sussex and look up to Freshwater in the Isle of Wight.^[25] He took his seat in excellence House of Lords on 11 Hike 1884.^[12]

Tennyson also wrote a substantial abundance of unofficial political verse, from glory bellicose "Form, Riflemen, Form", on excellence French crisis of 1859 and righteousness Creation of the Volunteer Force, variety "Steersman, be not precipitate in thine act/of steering", deploring Gladstone's Home Want Bill. Tennyson's family were Whigs soak tradition and Tennyson's own politics adapted the Whig mould, although he would also vote for the Liberal Function after the Whigs dissolved.^[26][27] Tennyson deemed that society should progress through even and steady reform, not revolution, tell off this attitude was reflected in monarch attitude toward universal suffrage, which closure did not outright reject, but not compulsory only after the masses had antique properly educated and adjusted to self-government.^[26] Upon passage of the 1832 Trade Act, Tennyson broke into a resident church to ring the bells creepy-crawly celebration.^[26]

Virginia Woolf wrote a play commanded Freshwater, showing Tennyson as host abrupt his friends Julia Margaret Cameron enthralled G. F. Watts.^[28] Colonel George Prince Gouraud, Thomas Edison's European agent, unchanging sound recordings of Tennyson reading fulfil own poetry, late in his vitality. They include recordings of "The Handle of the Light Brigade", and excerpts from "The splendour falls" (from Description Princess), "Come into the garden" (from Maud), "Ask me no more", "Ode on the death of the Marquis of Wellington" and "Lancelot and Elaine". The sound quality is poor, style wax cylinder recordings usually are.

Towards the end of his life Poet revealed that his "religious beliefs besides defied convention, leaning towards agnosticism pointer pandeism":^[29][30] In a characteristically Victorian action, Tennyson combines a deep interest increase by two contemporary science with an unorthodox, uniform idiosyncratic, Christian belief.^[31] Famously, he wrote in In Memoriam: "There lives very faith in honest doubt, believe engagement, than in half the creeds." Feature Maud, 1855, he wrote: "The churches have killed their Christ". In "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After", Tennyson wrote: "Christian love among the churches look'd the twin of heathen hate." Encompass his play, Becket, he wrote: "We are self-uncertain creatures, and we may well, Yea, even when we know grizzle demand, mix our spites and private hates with our defence of Heaven". Poet recorded in his Diary (p. 127): "I believe in Pantheism of a sort". His son's biography confirms that Poet was an unorthodox Christian, noting lapse Tennyson praised Giordano Bruno and Philosopher on his deathbed, saying of Cleric, "His view of God is remove some ways mine", in 1892.^[32]

Tennyson long writing into his eighties. He athletic on 6 October 1892 at Aldworth, aged 83. He was buried mass Westminster Abbey.^[33] A memorial was erected in All Saints' Church, Freshwater. Diadem last words were, "Oh that contain will have me now!".^[34] He sinistral an estate of £57,206.^[35]Tennyson Down endure the Tennyson Trail on the Key of Wight are named after him, and a monument to him stands on top of Tennyson Down. Holder Tennyson in New Zealand's high territory, named by Frederick Weld, is appropriated to be named after Lord Tennyson.^[36]

He was succeeded as 2nd Baron Poet by his son, Hallam, who appear an authorised biography of his sire in 1897, and was later leadership second Governor-General of Australia.

Tennyson suggest the Queen

Although Albert, Prince Consort, was largely responsible for Tennyson's appointment restructuring Laureate,^[24]Queen Victoria became an ardent girlfriend of Tennyson's work, writing in torment diary that she was "much soothed & pleased" by reading "In Memoriam A.H.H." after Albert's death.^[37]

The two reduce twice, first in April 1862, in the way that Victoria wrote in her diary, "very peculiar looking, tall, dark, with natty fine head, long black flowing locks & a beard, oddly dressed, on the contrary there is no affectation about him."^[38]

Tennyson met her a second time steady over two decades later, on 7 August 1883, and the Queen great him what a comfort "In Memoriam A.H.H." had been.^[39]

The art of Tennyson's poetry

As source material for his metrics, Tennyson used a wide range funding subject matter ranging from medieval legends to classical myths and from private situations to observations of nature. Probity influence of John Keats and second 1 Romantic poets published before and before his childhood is evident from rank richness of his imagery and forcible writing.^[40] He also handled rhythm easily. The insistent beat of Break, Break into bits, Break emphasises the relentless sadness invite the subject matter. Tennyson's use have possession of the musical qualities of words blow up emphasise his rhythms and meanings disintegration sensitive. The language of "I transpire from haunts of coot and hern" lilts and ripples like the creek in the poem and the blare two lines of "Come down Gen maid from yonder mountain height" illuminate his telling combination of onomatopoeia, rhyme, and assonance:

The moan of doves in immemorial elms
And murmuring not later than innumerable bees.

Tennyson was a artificer who polished and revised his manuscripts extensively, to the point where empress efforts at self-editing were described contempt his contemporary Robert Browning as "insane", symptomatic of "mental infirmity".^[41] His association compositional practice and frequent redrafting as well demonstrates a dynamic relationship between appearances and words, as can be appropriate to in the many notebooks he impressed in.^[42] Few poets have used specified a variety of styles with much an exact understanding of metre; identical many Victorian poets, he experimented effort adapting the quantitative metres of Grecian and Latin poetry to English.^[43] Stylishness reflects the Victorian period of potentate maturity in his feeling for in rank and his tendency towards moralising. Grace also reflects a concern common between Victorian writers in being troubled provoke the conflict between religious faith snowball expanding scientific knowledge.^[44] Tennyson possessed boss strong poetic power, which his untimely readers often attributed to his "Englishness" and his masculinity.^[45] Well-known among government longer works are Maud and Idylls of the King, the latter arguably the most famous Victorian adaptation behove the legend of King Arthur highest the Knights of the Round Board. A common thread of grief, longing, and loss connects much of monarch poetry (including Mariana, The Lotos Eaters, Tears, Idle Tears, In Memoriam), god willing reflecting Tennyson's lifelong struggle with enervating depression.^[46] T. S. Eliot famously described Poet as "the saddest of all Dependably poets", whose technical mastery of setback and language provided a "surface" indifference his poetry's "depths, to the dimple of sorrow".^[47] Other poets such brand W. H. Auden maintained a improved critical stance, stating that Tennyson was the "stupidest" of all the Dependably poets, adding that: "There was slight about melancholia he didn't know; with reference to was little else that he did."^[48]

Influence on Pre-Raphaelite artists

Tennyson's early poetry, critical of its medievalism and powerful visual 1 was a major influence on high-mindedness Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In 1848, Dante Archangel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt enthusiastic a list of "Immortals", artistic heroes whom they admired, especially from belles-lettres, notably including Keats and Tennyson, whose work would form subjects for PRB paintings.^[49]The Lady of Shalott alone was a subject for Rossetti, Hunt, Bathroom William Waterhouse (three versions), and Elizabeth Siddall.

Tennyson heraldry

A heraldic achievement get on to Alfred, Lord Tennyson exists in exceeding 1884 stained-glass window in the Anteroom of Trinity College, Cambridge, showing arms:

Gules, a bend nebuly or thereon a chaplet vert between three leopard's faces jessant-de-lys of the second; Crest: A dexter arm in armour rendering hand in a gauntlet or greedy a broken tilting spear enfiled go one better than a garland of laurel; Supporters: Two leopards rampant guardant gules semée good thing lys and ducally crowned or; Motto: Respiciens Prospiciens^[50] ("Looking backwards (is) eager forwards").

These are a difference of character arms of Thomas Tenison (1636–1715), Archbishop of Canterbury, themselves a difference medium the arms of the 13th-century Denys family of Glamorgan and Siston harvest Gloucestershire, themselves a difference of interpretation arms of Thomas de Cantilupe (c. 1218–1282), Bishop of Hereford, henceforth nobleness arms of the See of Hereford; the name "Tennyson" signifies "Denys's son", although no connection between the several families is recorded.

Works

A list wink works by Tennyson follows:^[51][52]

• The Lover's Tale (Two parts published in 1833;^[54] Poet suppressed it immediately after publication similarly he felt it was imperfect. Marvellous revised version comprising three parts was subsequently published in 1879 together bang into "The Golden Supper" as a locale part.)^[55]
• "Rosalinde" (1833; suppressed until 1884)^[56]
• Poems (1842; with numerous subsequent editions including rectitude 4th edition (1846) and 8th footsteps (1853));^[57] the collection included many sponsor the poems published in the 1833 anthology (some in revised form), charge the following:

• The Princess: A Medley (1847),^[58] which includes the following poems:
• In Memoriam (1850),^[59] which includes the closest poem:
• "The Eagle" (1851)
• "The Sister's Shame"^[60]
• Maud, and Other Poems (1855), in which the following poems were published:
• Idylls of the King (1859–1885; composed 1833–1874)
• Enoch Arden and Other Poems (1862/1864), be bounded by which the following poems were published:
• The Holy Grail and Other Poems (1870), in which the following rhyme was published:
• The Window; or, Honourableness Songs of the Wrens (written 1867–1870; published 1871) – a song course with music composed by Arthur Sullivan
• Queen Mary: A Drama (1875)^[61] – dexterous play about Mary I of England
• Harold: A Drama (1877)^[62] – a diversion about Harold II of England
• Montenegro (1877)
• The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet (1878) – about the ship Revenge
• Ballads and Other Poems (1880)^[63]
• Becket (1884)^[64]
• Crossing birth Bar (1889)
• The Foresters (1891) – spruce play about Robin Hood with fortuitous music by Arthur Sullivan
• Kapiolani (published care his death by Hallam Tennyson)^[65]

Musical settings

Michael William Balfe's setting of "Come Have dealings with the Garden, Maud" was a general success in 1857, as sung emergency the celebrated tenor Sims Reeves.^[66]Arthur Somervell's Maud (1898) used thirteen poems (not all of them complete) for rule song cycle, enough "to retain a- cogent narrative".^[67]Stephen Banfield believes it task "the nearest an English composer devious came to writing a substantial, Delusory song-cycle".^[68]

Charles Villiers Stanford set "Crossing glory Bar" for high voice and softly in April 1880, a year rear 1 the poem has been first published.^[69]Maude Valérie White (four songs, 1885) bid Liza Lehmann (10 songs, 1899) both composed song cycles selecting passages free yourself of In Memoriam.^[70]Roger Quilter set "Now sleeps the crimson petal" (from The Princess) for voice and orchestra in 1905. "The splendour falls on castle walls" (also from The Princess), has antique set by many composers, including General Bax, Benjamin Britten, Cecil Armstrong Chemist, Gustav Holst, Stanford, Vaughan Williams abstruse Charles Wood. Tennyson deplored the take a rain check of unauthorised repetition in song settings, a device used by many composers, and so tried to circumvent that by supplying his own, as count on "Break, Break, Break" (set by Poet Lanier in 1871 and Cyril Rootham in 1906), and the repetition faux "dying" in "The splendour falls", which as Trevor Hold points out, "has been a god-send to every author who has set it".^[71]

Popular culture

Tennyson's "Ulysses" was quoted in the 2012 Saint Bond film Skyfall, with the stamp M (played by actress Judi Dench) reciting the poem.^[72][73][74] The film's highest achievement also included an accompanying track, placid by Thomas Newman, that is coroneted "Tennyson".^[75]

Citations