A Study Of The Life And Career Of Lord Alfred Tennyson And Selected Cr
...a person likes or dislikes the works of Lord Alfred Tennyson,
most would agree that he was one of the most influential writers of his time period.
Tennyson grew up in a wealthy family never wanting for anything. English author
often regarded as the chief representative of the Victorian age in poetry. Tennyson
succeeded Wordsworth as Poet Laureate in 1850; he was appointed by Queen
Victoria and served 42 years. Tennyson's works were melancholic, and reflected
the moral and intellectual values of his time, which made them especially
vulnerable for later critic.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire. His father,
George Clayton Tennyson, a clergyman and rector, suffered from depression and
was notoriously absentminded. Alfred began to write poetry at an early age in the
style of Lord Byron. After spending four unhappy years in school he was tutored
at home. Tennyson then studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he joined
the literary club 'The Apostles' and met Arthur Hallam, who became his closest
friend. The undergraduate society discussed contemporary social, religious,
scientific, and literary issues. Encouraged by 'The Apostles', Tennyson published
POEMS, CHIEFLY LYRICAL, in 1830, which included the popular 'Mariana'. He
travelled with Hallam on the Continent. By 1830, Hallam had become engaged to
Tennyson's sister Emily. After his father's death in 1831 Tennyson returned to
Somersby without a degree.
His next book, POEMS (1833), received unfavorable reviews, and
Tennyson ceased to publish for nearly ten years. Hallam died suddenly on the same
year in Vienna. It was a heavy blow to Tennyson. He began to write 'Im
Memorian' for his lost friend - the work took seventeen years. A revised volume of
Poems, which included the 'The Lady of Shalott' and 'The Lotus-eaters'. 'Morte
d'Arthur' and 'Ulysses' appeared in...
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