1. Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Victorian Period

2. Alfred, Lord Tennyson August 6, 1809 – October 6, 1892 Poet Laureate
Best-known Victorian poet

3. His Life
His father was a well-off pastor who took care that his sons were well-educated
Alfred Tennyson was 14 when Byron died and was very saddened by the event

4. In reality, Tennyson grew up in a dysfunctional family
He already knew he was going to be a poet – he and two of his brothers published a book of poems when Alfred was only 17
It is often assumed that Tennyson had an easy life and was not really in touch with life in Victorian England
In reality, Tennyson grew up in a dysfunctional family
George Clayton Tennyson (1778–1831),
Father of Alfred Tennyson

5. His father was often violent and drank too much
His father, heir to a large landowner, was disinherited and forced to become a minister to make a living – a job he hated
One brother was committed to an asylum for life (Edward); one brother (Charles) was addicted to opium; a third brother fought physically with his father (Arthur)
His father was often violent and drank too much
Charles Tennyson

6. Alfred went to Cambridge for a while; he was a shy man whose friends encouraged to write
He had to quit college when his father died
Things were difficult then for him; he returned home to care for his mother

7. His best friend died the next year – Arthur Henry Hallam – who was also engaged to Alfred’s sister, Emilia
Hallam’s death was traumatic and seems to be what inspired Tennyson to write truly great poetry

8. The same year as Hallam’s death, Alfred published his second collection of poems
This book was so badly received that Alfred refused to publish again for 10 years, although he was still writing poetry
Young Alfred

9. Finances were very bad during these years and Alfred was forced to delay his marriage to his childhood sweetheart for 14 years
Alfred’s third publication finally brought recognition and a more comfortable income

10. In 1850, Tennyson reached what many consider to be the height of his career when he published “In Memoriam A.H.H.,” a lengthy poem in honor of his friend Henry Hallam
Also in 1850, Tennyson was appointed Poet Laureate (which gave him a steady income) and married Emily Sellwood – his very patient fiancé
Remember that crisis often brings out the best in creative people – and there were several elements that combined to bring Tennyson to his height -

11. Remember… crisis often brings out the best in creative people – and there were several elements that combined to bring Tennyson to the height of his career

12. He published nearly a dozen books of poems before he died
A famous one included “Idylls of the King,” the story of King Arthur

13. In 1884, Tennyson was given a “peerage,” which was accompanied with land, a home, and the title of “Lord” and is known as Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred accepted the title to help secure financial stability for his sons
Tennyson died in and was buried in Westminster Abbey

14. His poetry was always marked by a sense of the precariousness and sadness of life
He believed that everything was a part of a benevolent plan in which all losses would eventually be made good
Tennyson also recognized that his voice was important in society and that the general public took his opinions very seriously
A biography written by his son confirmed that Tennyson was not a Christian

15. Tennyson’s Legacy…
His classic Victorian themes showed his desire for logic, moralizing, and self-indulgent melancholy
He also discussed the common concern with the conflict between religious faith and scientific knowledge

16. Tennyson had a gift for describing scenery; he was said to be able to describe locations that did not exist as if they were real places
He used a style of blank verse that was considered “dignified,” and he said it was difficult to describe “ordinary” things with his words, something he dealt with frequently
Tennyson was concerned with the future; he found it both fascinating and frightening

17. He was amazed at the creativity of man but also alarmed at the violence and horrors in the modern world
He was afraid that man would “retrogress” – go backward as a society rather than forward
As many of the poets before him, Tennyson felt that he must explore the relation of humanity to God and nature, most clearly seen in his elegy, In Memoriam

18. Although Tennyson often wrote about the past, he was the first major writer to address the awareness of the vastness of “human existence” seen after scientists discovered that the world was “millions” of years old during the Victorian Age