Lord Alfred Tennyson Research
Carley McGlothlin
Lori Shaw
British Literature
April 16, 2013
Lord Alfred Tennyson Research Lord Alfred Tennyson was a famous writer during the Victorian Era. He is one of the well-loved poets. He was born on August 6, 1809. His birth place was Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. Tennyson was the fourth child out of twelve children. He displayed an early talent for writing. At twelve years old he wrote his 6,000 line poem. He was tutored by his father, Reverend George Tennyson, in classical and modern languages. However, in the 1820s, Alfred’s father began suffering mental breakdowns. They became very frequent and were believed to be from alcoholism. One brother of Tennyson’s got into violent altercations with his father, and another was later sent to an insane asylum, and one more became an opium addict. Lord Alfred Tennyson left home in 1827. He then attended Trinity College, Cambridge. He and his brother Charles published Poems by Two Brothers, in that same year. Even though the poem was a little mature for that era, it attracted attention of the disciples. The people delivered confidence to Tennyson as a poet. Tennyson became best friends with Hallam and the toured Europe together. The sudden death of his best friend in 1833, greatly depressed the young poet. He wrote many tribute poems to his best friend, including In memoriam. In 1830, he published poems, Chiefly Lyrical and a second volume of poems. With reviews saying the books were “affected” and “obscure”, Tennyson would not publish another book for the nine years to come. He became engaged to Emily Sellwood, in 1836. Her family called off the engagement when Tennyson lost his inheritance on a bad investment. In 1842, Tennyson’s Poems became a critical and popular success. In 1850, he became one of Britain’s most popular poets with the publication of In Memoriam. In that same year he married Emily Sellwood, and they had two sons, Hallam and Lionel. Tennyson had finally established himself as the
Lori Shaw
British Literature
April 16, 2013
Lord Alfred Tennyson Research Lord Alfred Tennyson was a famous writer during the Victorian Era. He is one of the well-loved poets. He was born on August 6, 1809. His birth place was Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. Tennyson was the fourth child out of twelve children. He displayed an early talent for writing. At twelve years old he wrote his 6,000 line poem. He was tutored by his father, Reverend George Tennyson, in classical and modern languages. However, in the 1820s, Alfred’s father began suffering mental breakdowns. They became very frequent and were believed to be from alcoholism. One brother of Tennyson’s got into violent altercations with his father, and another was later sent to an insane asylum, and one more became an opium addict. Lord Alfred Tennyson left home in 1827. He then attended Trinity College, Cambridge. He and his brother Charles published Poems by Two Brothers, in that same year. Even though the poem was a little mature for that era, it attracted attention of the disciples. The people delivered confidence to Tennyson as a poet. Tennyson became best friends with Hallam and the toured Europe together. The sudden death of his best friend in 1833, greatly depressed the young poet. He wrote many tribute poems to his best friend, including In memoriam. In 1830, he published poems, Chiefly Lyrical and a second volume of poems. With reviews saying the books were “affected” and “obscure”, Tennyson would not publish another book for the nine years to come. He became engaged to Emily Sellwood, in 1836. Her family called off the engagement when Tennyson lost his inheritance on a bad investment. In 1842, Tennyson’s Poems became a critical and popular success. In 1850, he became one of Britain’s most popular poets with the publication of In Memoriam. In that same year he married Emily Sellwood, and they had two sons, Hallam and Lionel. Tennyson had finally established himself as the
Cited: Damrosch, David. Dettmar, Kevin J. H. Fourth Edition. The Longman Anthology British Literature. Boston, 2010. "Author Biography." Poetry for Students. Vol. 15. Gale Cengage, . eNotes.com. 22 Apr, 2013 <http://www.enotes.com/lady-shalott/>