Alfred Lord Tennyson - The Princess: Theirs Not to Reason Why, Theirs But to Do and Die.
- ISBN-10
- 1544066112
- ISBN-13
- 9781544066110
- Pages
- 82
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2017-03-06
- Publisher
- Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
- Author
- Alfred Tennyson
Description
Alfred Tennyson was born on August 6th, 1809, in Somersby, Lincolnshire, the fourth of twelve children. Most of Tennyson's early education was under the direction of his father, although he did spend four unhappy years at a nearby grammar school. He left home in 1827 to join his elder brothers at Trinity College, Cambridge, more to escape his father than a desire for serious academic work. At Trinity he was living for the first time among young men of his own age who knew little of his problems. He was delighted to make new friends; he was handsome, intelligent, humorous, a gifted impersonator and soon at the center of those interested in poetry and conversation. That same year, he and his brother Charles published Poems by Two Brothers. Although the poems in the book were of teenage quality, they attracted the attention of the "Apostles," a select undergraduate literary club led by Arthur Hallam. The "Apostles" provided Tennyson with friendship and confidence. Hallam and Tennyson became the best of friends; they toured Europe together in 1830 and again in 1832. Hallam's sudden death in 1833 greatly affected the young poet. The long elegy In Memoriam and many of Tennyson's other poems are tributes to Hallam. In 1830, Tennyson published Poems, Chiefly Lyrical and in 1832 he published a second volume entitled simply Poems. Some reviewers condemned these books as "affected" and "obscure." Tennyson, stung by the reviews, would not publish another book for nine years. In 1836, he became engaged to Emily Sellwood. When he lost his inheritance on a failed investment in 1840, the engagement was cancelled. In 1842, however, Tennyson's Poems [in two volumes] was a tremendous critical and popular success. In 1850, with the publication of In Memoriam, Tennyson's reputation was pre-eminent. He was also selected as Poet Laureate in succession to Wordsworth and, to complete a wonderful year, he married Emily Sellwood. At the age of 41, Tennyson had established himself as the most popular poet of the Victorian era. The money from his poetry [at times exceeding 10,000 pounds per year] allowed him to purchase a home in the country and to write in relative seclusion. His appearance-a large and bearded man, he regularly wore a cloak and a broad brimmed hat-enhanced his notoriety. In 1859, Tennyson published the first poems of Idylls of the Kings, which sold more than 10,000 copies in a fortnight. In 1884, he accepted a peerage, becoming Alfred Lord Tennyson. On October 6th, 1892, an hour or so after midnight, surrounded by his family, he died at Aldworth. It is said that the moonlight was streaming through the window and Tennyson himself was holding open a volume of Shakespeare. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Get the book
Similar books
-
The Princess
By Alfred Lord TennysonWith a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s The Princess is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.
-
The Princess: A Medley
By Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson, Daniel Maclise, Dalziel BrothersThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
-
PRINCESS A MEDLEY
By Alfred Tennyson Baron Tennyson, ed, 1809-1This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
-
TENNYSONS THE PRINCESS
By Alfred Tennyson Baron Tennyson, 1809-1, L. A.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
-
The Princess: A Medley
By Alfred TennysonOur readers see the books the same way that their first readers did decades or a hundred or more years ago. Books from that period are often spoiled by imperfections that did not exist in the original.
-
TENNYSONS THE PRINCESS
By Alfred Tennyson Baron Tennyson, 1809-1, Mary Ed BowenThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
-
The Princess: Illustrated
By Alfred Lord TennysonThe poem tells the story of a heroic princess who forswears the world of men and finds a women's university where men are forbidden to enter.