Characteristics of Tennyson’s Poetry

To be acquainted with Victorian era, you must be aware about the characteristics of Tennyson’s poetry. Every writer of different period, pens down for a motive, to fulfill a purpose and nonetheless it has some message to provide about that era. Lord Alfred Tennyson, Matthew Arnold and Robert Browning were contemporary Victorian writers. Though Robert Browning and Arnold are some writers who expressed the reality in kind of direct manner in their work, Tennyson deviated from them and so he regards to be imaginative. The way one makes up their work, distinguishes him from others. That’s the narrative technique which the writers apply on how they frame their literary work.

To discuss the characteristics of Tennyson’s poetry, his poetry reflected his notion of thoughts. Tennyson wanted to escape the harsh reality with which he was not content about. So, he took the world of imagination like the romantic writers to pass an escape whilst giving a message indeed.

Imagination in his poetry

While moving on to the characteristics of Tennyson’s poetry, he very well portrayed his imagination into words which makes us feel that image right in our eyes. Whereas creating imagery while reading his poems. In Tithonus, the way dawn falls, the arrival of goddess aurora makes us visualize how the darkness falls off and light of dawn gleams in shaking off the darkness.

The imaginative land of lotus eaters, when we go through the poem, we are bound to see a land behind the curtains of our eyes where the streams flow on drowsily, moon above the valley in an afternoon and the red gleams of the west as if it’s the time of sunset. The image we can visualize feels so real due to the merging of mood and nature as if we can feel those weary sailors who once longed to reach their fatherland. 

Style

Tennyson uses Dramatic monologue in some of his poems unlike Browning who is the king of it. A poem written in dramatic monologue means the imagined speaker addresses a silent listener which is not the reader. As if a silent listener is hearing it all but not responding which would make it seem conversational. The ‘story’ or what happens is a movement in thought and emotion and it is not presented in a direct narration. In Tithonus, Goddess Aurora is the silent listener of Tithonus. Although Tennyson somewhat made use of this method, his poetry had allusions or was based on classical mythology. Thus making it the leading characteristics of Tennyson’s poetry.

Myth

Tennyson was not against the revolution of scientific discoveries that were taking place. Rather, how it drew people apart from each other and as well as from spirituality. The more people were getting towards advancement,  the more it drew them apart from their creator and hence making humans forget their boundaries. He very well tried to portray his ideas through the use of myth. Tithonus is like a complete fairytale where a goddess and a human can get married. The reference of Goddess of dawn has been taken from ancient Greek. The concept of providing boon to a human such as immortality is an element of myth. 

Is it true that we learn from myths as well which we used to hear from our grandma’s? 

Greek Mythology

Classical legendary figures and myths rule in Tennyson’s poetry. He brings mythical elements which feels like fairytale, showing his glory for past, being nostalgic for that period; the classic. 

For instance, in The Lotus Eaters,

” To muse and brood and live again in memory”

Tennyson adds elements of nostalgia as he himself glorified the past, to go back to classic, something old which is to cherish. 

Even Tithonus in Tithonus laments by remembering his past that how glorified he was that Aurora chose her.

” Alas! For this gray shadow, once a man—

So glorious in his beauty and thy choice”

He even named a complete poem with a classical legend, Ulysses, Odysseus of Homer’s Iliad. In the poem we can figure the mention of Achilles, the great warrior of Troy and in Tithonus, the mythical God Apollo’s song.

We even have this classical figure in another poem The Lotus eaters, where Ulysses and his companion sailors, who long to get back to their land and reaches a shore. Such stories are famous myths which we often grew up hearing. Like fairytale we are introduced to a strange land which can only exist in our imagination. 

How astonishing it might be for the Victorian people to know that a man felt idle being titled as a king! Ulysses wanted to leave his life of luxury in thirst for adventure, particularly to widen his depth of life and knowledge then sitting idle. Imagine the Victorian or Modern people in that situation. Would they ever leave the life of opulence in order to gain something providing inner passion? Rather they run behind the materialistic world, earning more and more wealth. Tennyson sort of criticized the Victorian people through his work.

Symbols

Since ages writers have been using symbols to incarnate a meaning through something else. Certainly it is a characteristic of Tennyson’s poetry as well. 

The lotos plant in The Lotos-eaters is a symbol of escape from the world of responsibility. Just as the God who are careless of mankind. It signifies that apart from this hasty life one needs rest as well as one day we are to die.

Tithonus trying to attain a virtue of God symbolizes that man should not try to cross his boundaries of being a human or else the outcome won’t be fruitful and can lead to adverse. 

Sea/water serves as both the means of a character’s imprisonment and the opportunity for their freedom. Imprisonment that the sailors do not know when are they likely to reach a land and opportunity like for instance, Ulysses yearns to go on sea voyage again to gain more Knowledge.

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