Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1809-1892
Author of this webpage: Renée Goodvin

Alfred, Lord Tennyson is considered by many to be the greatest and most popular of the Victorian poets.

Tennyson was born the fourth son in a family of twelve children. His father was the disinherited son of a wealthy landowner, who was a drunkard that had to make his living from the parsonage, which he hated. This fact made Tennyson's home life difficult, as his father was prone to drunken fits of anger. Nevertheless, Tennyson's father helped prepare his sons for the University by serving as a classical and modern language tutor.

Tennyson was a shy young man with few friends when he left to attend Cambridge. However, the publication of a book of poetry with his brother Charles in 1827, brought his potential to the attention of a group of gifted undergraduates there, called "The Apostles." Among this group, Tennyson made a good friend, Arthur Hallam, and was encouraged to devote his life to poetry. However, in 1831, Tennyson was forced to leave Cambridge due to family disagreements and financial need. Then, in 1833, Hallam suddenly died. Tennyson's sadness at the loss of his friend became a major subject of his poetry during this time in his life.

In 1836, Tennyson fell in love with Emily Sellwood, but because of poverty was unable to marry her until 1850. The years around 1850 were a major turning point in Tennyson's career. At this time, the release of In Memoriam, a tribute to his friendship with Hallam, brought him fame and critical recognition. Tennyson had become quite popular with Victorian readers and the earnings from his poetry finally allowed him to live a comfortable life and marry Sellwood. In addition, in 1850 he succeeded Wordsworth as poet laureate.

Tennyson was a talented poet and the subjects of his poetry were vast; ranging from portrayals of Arthurian legend to the fascinating yet horrifying technological and industrial changes of his day. But his talent was as much developed as it was natural. In order to achieve a sense of meter and harmonics, he faithfully studied his predecessors to perfect his technique.

When Tennyson died and was buried in Westminster Abbey 1892, he had become recognized as the poetic voice of the Victorian Age.

Notable Dates in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Life:

1827 - Poems, by Two Brothers is published with his brother Charles

1830 - Poems, Chiefly Lyrical is published

1842 - Poems is published

1850 - In Memoriam is published

1850 - Tennyson succeeds Wordsworth as poet laureate

1855 - Maud, an experimental monologue, is published

1859 - Four books of Idylls of the King are published

1884 - Accepts a peerage

1888 - All twelve books of Idylls of the King are published

1892 - Tennyson dies and is buried in Westminster Abbey

The information for Alfred, Lord Tennyson's biography was adapted from The Norton Anthology of English Literature, volume 2, 6th ed., p. 1052-1056.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Links:

Tennyson - Criticism

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Criticism from the Internet Public Library.

The Tennyson Page

The Tennyson Page, created by Arthur Chandler, San Francisco State University.

Alfred Lord Tennyson: An Overview

An overview of Tennyson from The Victorian Web.

---

Home | Blog | email

© 1998 - 2004 blondelibrarian.net
Last updated January 28, 2005