Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809-1892

Alfred Tennyson was one of the most successful writers of his time. “His books sold tens of thousands of copies; the Queen and Parliament named him Poet Laureate, then Lord, and finally Baron Tennyson; his annual income surpassed ten thousand pounds a year; and he was widely regarded as something more than a poet-a prophet, a sage, and an infallible moneymaker” (583). Tennyson came from a large family that suffered from several flaws. These flaws were called the black blood of the Tennyson family. They suffered from addictive and depressing personality traits. Alfred suffered from depression himself and had an introverted personality. Tennyson attended Oxford University where he met his best friend and future brother-in-law Henry Hallam. Hallam died shortly after leaving Oxford and this devastated Tennyson. Lord Tennyson was known for his lyrical quality.

The first thing I noticed when reading the work of Tennyson was the first poem presented on page 586 entitled The Kracken. The reason that this poem stood out to me might sound silly to some but while reading it I realized that the kracken that he was describing as causing havoc on the open seas was the same kracken that the makers of Pirates of the Caribbean used in their film to torment the seas. I thought this was really cool because I just figured that the writer of the movie just made this creature up from thin air, but it was now obvious that this major modern film had drawn inspiration from the writings of Tennyson long ago. I thought this was a really cool connection.

Another poem of Lord Tennyson that I enjoyed reading was The Charge of the Light Brigade. I think the first reason it appealed me was that it was one of the few poems that I had heard of before reading it, and it dealt with military history, which I am a big fan of. I liked how Tennyson was able to express his disagreement with the decision to engage in the suicidal charge by the English soldiers, but at the same time was able to honor those brave men who so unselfishly gave their lives for their beloved nation. I think Tennyson does a good job of balancing these two feelings equally in his work. Additionally I thought it was really cool that we were able to listen to Tennyson read his own work thanks to the work of Edison. I think it helps to hear the writer read his own work because you can hear what words and phrases that he emphasizes stressing importance. Overall I have to say that Lord Tennyson is one of my favorites writers so far.