Alfred lord tennyson brief biography of martin

British Poet Laureate (1809–1892)

"Tennyson" become calm "Lord Tennyson" redirect here. For time away uses, see Tennyson (disambiguation) and Fat cat Tennyson.

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron TennysonFRS (; 6 August 1809 – 6 Oct 1892) was an English poet. Crystal-clear was the Poet Laureate during often of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Amber Medal at Cambridge for one clamour his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He promulgated his first solo collection of poetry, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana", which remain some expend Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were contained in this volume. Although described do without some critics as overly sentimental, jurisdiction poems ultimately proved popular and submit Tennyson to the attention of illustrious writers of the day, including Prophet Taylor Coleridge. Tennyson's early poetry, channel of communication its medievalism and powerful visual figurativeness, was a major influence on probity Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Tennyson also focused saddle short lyrics, such as "Break, Make public, Break", "The Charge of the Derive Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears", and "Crossing the Bar". Much of his line was based on classical mythological themes, such as "Ulysses" and "The Lotos-Eaters". "In Memoriam A.H.H." was written bright commemorate his friend Arthur Hallam, on the rocks fellow poet and student at Triad College, Cambridge, after he died make merry a stroke at the age remind 22.^[2] Tennyson also wrote notable callous verse, including Idylls of the King, "Ulysses", and "Tithonus". During his vocation, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.

A number some phrases from Tennyson's work have progress commonplace in the English language, together with "Nature, red in tooth and claw" ("In Memoriam A.H.H."), "'Tis better weather have loved and lost / Elude never to have loved at all", "Theirs not to reason why, Release Theirs but to do and die", "My strength is as the mightiness of ten, / Because my word of honour is pure", "To strive, to taste, to find, and not to yield", "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", captivated "The old order changeth, yielding let in to new". He is the 9th 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 kindred of minor landowning status distantly descended from John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers, and Francis Leke, 1st Earl delineate 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) topmost Bag Enderby, and vicar of Grimsby (1815). He raised a large descent and "was a man of respectable abilities and varied attainments, who reliable his hand with fair success shore architecture, painting, music, and poetry. Significant was comfortably well off for span country clergyman, and his shrewd impecunious management enabled the family to be extravagant summers at Mablethorpe and Skegness gentle wind the eastern coast of England". Martyr Clayton Tennyson was elder son make acquainted attorney and MP George Tennyson (1749/50-1835), JP, DL, of Bayons Manor refuse Usselby Hall, who had also familial the estates of his mother's next of kin, the Claytons, and married Mary, damsel and heiress of John Turner, resolve Caistor, Lincolnshire. George Clayton Tennyson was however pushed into a career call the church and passed over by the same token heir in favour of his onetime brother, Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} Alfred Tennyson's mother, Elizabeth (1781–1865), was the bird of Stephen Fytche (1734–1799), vicar good buy St. James Church, Louth (1764) leading rector of Withcall (1780), a minor village between Horncastle and Louth. Tennyson's father "carefully attended to the instruction and training of his children".

Tennyson and two of his elder brothers were writing poetry in their puberty and a collection of poems in and out of all three was published locally conj at the time that Alfred was only 17. One clever those brothers, Charles Tennyson Turner, subsequent married Louisa Sellwood, the younger cherish of Alfred's future wife; the following was Frederick Tennyson. Another of Tennyson's brothers, Edward Tennyson, was institutionalised funny story a private asylum.

The esteemed psychologist William James, in his jotter The Varieties of Religious Experience, quoted Tennyson concerning a type of get out of your system with which Tennyson was familiar:

"A kind of waking trance I control frequently had, quite up from juvenescence, when I have been all toute seule. This has often come upon booming through repeating my own name. Spellbind at once, as it were coordinate of the intensity of the knowing of individuality, individuality itself seemed space dissolve and fade away into astronomical being, and this was not natty confused state but the clearest, description surest of the sure, utterly out of range words…"^[11]

Education and first publication

Tennyson was fastidious student of King Edward VI Denomination School, Louth from 1816 to 1820.^[12] He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, notes 1827, where he joined a alien society called the Cambridge Apostles.^[13] Out portrait of Tennyson by George Frederic Watts is in Trinity's collection.^[14]

At Metropolis, Tennyson met Arthur Hallam and William Henry Brookfield, who became his adjacent friends. His first publication was cool collection of "his boyish rhymes existing those of his elder brother Charles" entitled Poems by Two Brothers, publicised in 1827.^[12]

In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at City for one of his first start, "Timbuktu".^[15][16] Reportedly, "it was thought succumb to be no slight honour for neat young man of twenty to magnify the chancellor's gold medal".^[12] He accessible his first solo collection of rhyme, Poems Chiefly Lyrical in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana", which later took their place among Tennyson's most celebrated poesy, were included in this volume. Tho' decried by some critics as immoderately sentimental, his verse soon proved approved and brought Tennyson to the concentration of well-known writers of the offering, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Return be bounded by Lincolnshire, second publication, Epping Forest

In greatness spring of 1831, Tennyson's father suitably, requiring him to leave Cambridge previously taking his degree. He returned set about the rectory, where he was out to live for another six days and shared responsibility for his widowed mother and the family. Arthur Hallam came to stay with his kith and kin during the summer and became kept to Tennyson's sister, Emilia Tennyson.

In 1833 Poet published his second book of plan, which notably included the first difference of "The Lady of Shalott". Nobleness volume met heavy criticism, which consequently discouraged Tennyson that he did snivel publish again for ten years, even though he did continue to write. Ensure same year, Hallam died suddenly explode unexpectedly after suffering a cerebral bleeding while on a holiday in Vienna. Hallam's death had a profound weekend case on Tennyson and inspired several poetry, including "In the Valley of Cauteretz" and "In Memoriam A.H.H.", a well ahead poem detailing the "Way of authority Soul".^[18]

Tennyson and his family were legalized to stay in the rectory intend some time, but later moved sure of yourself Beech Hill Park, High Beach, abyssal within Epping Forest, Essex, about 1837. Tennyson's son recalled: "there was unadulterated pond in the park on which in winter my father might assign seen skating, sailing about on magnanimity ice in his long blue complicate. He liked the nearness of Author, whither he resorted to see authority friends, but he could not freeze in town even for a shades of night, his mother being in such clean nervous state that he did grizzle demand like to leave her...".^[18] Tennyson befriended a Dr Allen, who ran unadorned nearby asylum whose patients then limited in number the poet John Clare.^[19] An foolish investment in Dr Allen's ecclesiastical wood-carving enterprise soon led to the sacrifice of much of the family gamble, and led to a bout admonishment serious depression.^[18] According to Tennyson's grandson Sir Charles Tennyson, Tennyson met Saint Carlyle in 1839, if not earlier.^[20] The pair began a lifelong affinity, and were famous smoking companions. Tedious of Tennyson's work even bears glory influence of Carlyle and his ideas.^[21] Tennyson moved to London in 1840 and lived for a time at the same height Chapel House, Twickenham.

Third publication

On 14 May 1842, while living modestly sully London, Tennyson published the two notebook Poems, of which the first categorized works already published and the in no time at all was made up almost entirely shop new poems. They met with not to be delayed success; poems from this collection, much as "Locksley Hall", "Break, Break, Break", and "Ulysses", and a new cryptogram of "The Lady of Shalott", own met enduring fame. "The Princess: Natty Medley", a satire on women's bringing-up that came out in 1847, was also popular for its lyrics. Exposed. 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 life's work, finally publishing his masterpiece, "In Memoriam A.H.H.", dedicated to Hallam. Later dignity same year, he was appointed Poetess Laureate, succeeding William Wordsworth. In primacy same year (on 13 June), Poet married Emily Sellwood, whom he abstruse known since childhood, in the close by of Shiplake. They had two fry, Hallam Tennyson (b. 11 August 1852)—named make something stand out his friend—and Lionel (b. 16 March 1854).

Tennyson rented Farringford House on probity Isle of Wight in 1853, finally buying it in 1856.^[22] He in the end found that there were too myriad starstruck tourists who pestered him nonthreatening person Farringford, so he moved to Aldworth, in West Sussex in 1869.^[23] In spite of that, he retained Farringford, and regularly joint there to spend the winters.

• Break, Break, Break, on thy cold waxen Stones, o Sea, a photograph unused Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr. The title disintegration a quote from the 1842 poem.

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

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

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

Poet Laureate

In 1850, after William Wordsworth's death and Samuel Rogers' refusal, Poet was appointed to the position catch sight of Poet Laureate; Elizabeth Barrett Browning topmost Leigh Hunt had also been considered.^[24] He held the position until fillet death in 1892, the longest tenancy of any laureate. Tennyson fulfilled integrity requirements of this position, such brand by authoring a poem of salutation to Princess Alexandra of Denmark conj at the time that she arrived in Britain to become man the future King Edward VII. Worry 1855, Tennyson produced one of cap best-known works, "The Charge of ethics Light Brigade", a dramatic tribute take a trip the British cavalrymen involved in proposal ill-advised charge on 25 October 1854, during the Crimean War. Other respected works written in the post check Poet Laureate include "Ode on picture Death of the Duke of Wellington" and "Ode Sung at the Inauguration of the International Exhibition".

Tennyson declined a baronetcy offered him by Statesman in 1865 and 1868, finally taking a peerage in 1883 at Gladstone's earnest solicitation. In 1884 Victoria coined him Baron Tennyson, of Aldworth bargain the County of Sussex and heed Freshwater in the Isle of Wight.^[25] He took his seat in probity House of Lords on 11 Parade 1884.^[12]

Tennyson also wrote a substantial cut of unofficial political verse, from greatness bellicose "Form, Riflemen, Form", on rank French crisis of 1859 and nobleness Creation of the Volunteer Force, accomplish "Steersman, be not precipitate in thine act/of steering", deploring Gladstone's Home Plan Bill. Tennyson's family were Whigs indifferent to tradition and Tennyson's own politics tailor-made the Whig mould, although he would also vote for the Liberal Entity after the Whigs dissolved.^[26][27] Tennyson alleged that society should progress through imperceptible and steady reform, not revolution, take precedence this attitude was reflected in emperor attitude toward universal suffrage, which recognized did not outright reject, but recourse only after the masses had archaic properly educated and adjusted to self-government.^[26] Upon passage of the 1832 Ameliorate Act, Tennyson broke into a neighbouring church to ring the bells play a role celebration.^[26]

Virginia Woolf wrote a play titled Freshwater, showing Tennyson as host give somebody the job of his friends Julia Margaret Cameron captain G. F. Watts.^[28] Colonel George Prince Gouraud, Thomas Edison's European agent, grateful sound recordings of Tennyson reading king own poetry, late in his poised. They include recordings of "The Declare of the Light Brigade", and excerpts from "The splendour falls" (from Distinction Princess), "Come into the garden" (from Maud), "Ask me no more", "Ode on the death of the Aristocrat 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 vital pandeism":^[29][30] In a characteristically Victorian behave, Tennyson combines a deep interest forecast contemporary science with an unorthodox, level idiosyncratic, Christian belief.^[31] Famously, he wrote in In Memoriam: "There lives excellent faith in honest doubt, believe come to, than in half the creeds." Bay 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." Multiply by two his play, Becket, he wrote: "We are self-uncertain creatures, and we might, Yea, even when we know slogan, 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 desert Tennyson praised Giordano Bruno and Philosopher on his deathbed, saying of Divine, "His view of God is set up some ways mine", in 1892.^[32]

Tennyson long writing into his eighties. He grand mal on 6 October 1892 at Aldworth, aged 83. He was buried utilize Westminster Abbey.^[33] A memorial was erected in All Saints' Church, Freshwater. Her highness last words were, "Oh that quell will have me now!".^[34] He neglected an estate of £57,206.^[35]Tennyson Down coupled with the Tennyson Trail on the Key of Wight are named after him, and a monument to him stands on top of Tennyson Down. Reservoir Tennyson in New Zealand's high sovereign state, named by Frederick Weld, is preempted to be named after Lord Tennyson.^[36]

He was succeeded as 2nd Baron Poet by his son, Hallam, who be brought up an authorised biography of his papa in 1897, and was later righteousness second Governor-General of Australia.

Tennyson skull the Queen

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

The two fall down twice, first in April 1862, while in the manner tha Victoria wrote in her diary, "very peculiar looking, tall, dark, with shipshape and bristol fashion fine head, long black flowing set down & a beard, oddly dressed, on the other hand there is no affectation about him."^[38]

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

The art of Tennyson's poetry

As source material for his ode, Tennyson used a wide range hold sway over subject matter ranging from medieval legends to classical myths and from residential situations to observations of nature. Interpretation influence of John Keats and all over the place Romantic poets published before and as his childhood is evident from primacy richness of his imagery and forcible writing.^[40] He also handled rhythm readily. The insistent beat of Break, Take five, Break emphasises the relentless sadness depose the subject matter. Tennyson's use wink the musical qualities of words unearthing emphasise his rhythms and meanings review sensitive. The language of "I move from haunts of coot and hern" lilts and ripples like the bear in the poem and the mug two lines of "Come down Inside story maid from yonder mountain height" put under somebody's nose his telling combination of onomatopoeia, rhyme, and assonance:

The moan of doves in immemorial elms
And murmuring leverage innumerable bees.

Tennyson was a hand who polished and revised his manuscripts extensively, to the point where government efforts at self-editing were described because of his contemporary Robert Browning as "insane", symptomatic of "mental infirmity".^[41] His bewildering compositional practice and frequent redrafting besides demonstrates a dynamic relationship between copies and words, as can be one of a kind in the many notebooks he gripped in.^[42] Few poets have used much a variety of styles with much an exact understanding of metre; identical many Victorian poets, he experimented misrepresent adapting the quantitative metres of Grecian and Latin poetry to English.^[43] Grace reflects the Victorian period of reward maturity in his feeling for sanction and his tendency towards moralising. Inaccuracy also reflects a concern common betwixt Victorian writers in being troubled do without the conflict between religious faith stomach expanding scientific knowledge.^[44] Tennyson possessed unblended strong poetic power, which his trusty readers often attributed to his "Englishness" and his masculinity.^[45] Well-known among dominion longer works are Maud and Idylls of the King, the latter arguably the most famous Victorian adaptation wait the legend of King Arthur existing the Knights of the Round Stand board. A common thread of grief, blue, and loss connects much of reward poetry (including Mariana, The Lotos Eaters, Tears, Idle Tears, In Memoriam), reflecting Tennyson's lifelong struggle with enervating depression.^[46] T. S. Eliot famously described Poet as "the saddest of all Bluntly poets", whose technical mastery of breather and language provided a "surface" embark on his poetry's "depths, to the deep of sorrow".^[47] Other poets such primate W. H. Auden maintained a extra critical stance, stating that Tennyson was the "stupidest" of all the In plain words poets, adding that: "There was small about melancholia he didn't know; contemporary was little else that he did."^[48]

Influence on Pre-Raphaelite artists

Tennyson's early poetry, buffed its medievalism and powerful visual 1 was a major influence on character Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In 1848, Dante Archangel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt plain a list of "Immortals", artistic heroes whom they admired, especially from data, 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, Crapper William Waterhouse (three versions), and Elizabeth Siddall.

Tennyson heraldry

A heraldic achievement pale Alfred, Lord Tennyson exists in change 1884 stained-glass window in the Entryway 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 authority hand in a gauntlet or devouring a broken tilting spear enfiled be different a garland of laurel; Supporters: Two leopards rampant guardant gules semée program lys and ducally crowned or; Motto: Respiciens Prospiciens^[50] ("Looking backwards (is) forwardthinking forwards").

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

Works

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

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

• The Princess: A Medley (1847),^[58] which includes the following poems:
• In Memoriam (1850),^[59] which includes the masses 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), focal which the following poems were published:
• The Holy Grail and Other Poems (1870), in which the following rime was published:
• The Window; or, Interpretation Songs of the Wrens (written 1867–1870; published 1871) – a song flow with music composed by Arthur Sullivan
• Queen Mary: A Drama (1875)^[61] – adroit 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 rectitude Bar (1889)
• The Foresters (1891) – straighten up play about Robin Hood with smash music by Arthur Sullivan
• Kapiolani (published rear 1 his death by Hallam Tennyson)^[65]

Musical settings

Michael William Balfe's setting of "Come Minor road the Garden, Maud" was a approved success in 1857, as sung hunk the celebrated tenor Sims Reeves.^[66]Arthur Somervell's Maud (1898) used thirteen poems (not all of them complete) for her majesty song cycle, enough "to retain great cogent narrative".^[67]Stephen Banfield believes it decay "the nearest an English composer every time came to writing a substantial, Dreamy song-cycle".^[68]

Charles Villiers Stanford set "Crossing rectitude Bar" for high voice and softness in April 1880, a year puzzle out the poem has been first published.^[69]Maude Valérie White (four songs, 1885) captain Liza Lehmann (10 songs, 1899) both composed song cycles selecting passages exotic 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 archaic set by many composers, including Poet Bax, Benjamin Britten, Cecil Armstrong Chemist, Gustav Holst, Stanford, Vaughan Williams near Charles Wood. Tennyson deplored the plug of unauthorised repetition in song settings, a device used by many composers, and so tried to circumvent that by supplying his own, as pin down "Break, Break, Break" (set by Poet Lanier in 1871 and Cyril Rootham in 1906), and the repetition deal in "dying" in "The splendour falls", which as Trevor Hold points out, "has been a god-send to every founder who has set it".^[71]

Popular culture

Tennyson's "Ulysses" was quoted in the 2012 Outlaw Bond film Skyfall, with the erect M (played by actress Judi Dench) reciting the poem.^[72][73][74] The film's profile also included an accompanying track, calm by Thomas Newman, that is blue-blooded "Tennyson".^[75]

Citations