Tennyson and Browning

Hello Friends, 
What is that exceptional thing or point which makes age to be known as? The answer would be quite simple literary man and critics. Many writers gave their entire contribution in making Age important, crucial and substantial too.

Yes, certainly Tennyson and Browning are one them.

Alfred Tennyson
If I say he is the great poet of Victorian age, it would be slight insult of his eminence.  He is known as a single representative of the Victorian age. Of course, I am discussing about ALFRED TENNYSON.  As we know that there is quite distinction between poet and voice, he was also one of voice of people.  He becomes the voice of the England.  It is not easy to describe him by any critics as a man and a poet not simply by a few discerning critics, but whole people loved and honored him!

According to William J. Long,

“For nearly half a man and a poet;

He was a voice, the voice of a whole people,

Expressing  in exquisite melody their doubts and their faith,

Their grief and their triumph.”

Now, it is fair enough to have a question that what Tennyson was writing and what kind of uniqueness was having in his poetry that he should be read! So, let’s discuss remarkable features of Tennyson’s poetry or we can also call it Tennyson’s message.

	Tennyson’s Message
1.	Supreme purpose of law ·        He finds supreme purpose of all law to be a revelation of divine love.
2.	Women characters ·        He describes his women characters as Shakespeare- pure, gentle and refined being. ·        His women character’s love made clear the meaning of all life. Thus, the message goes to one step forward. ·        He was more read by readers because of his woman characters which his characters work to bring out divine love from the heart.
3.	Faith as reasonable ·        Law and love are in the world, faith is the only reasonable attitude toward life and death, even though we do not understand them.

Tennyson is remarkable man who expresses not so much a personal  as a national spirit, he is probably the most representative literary man of the Victorian era.  His life has also made great effect upon his poetry or vice versa too. His whole life is remarkable from beginning to end he seems to have been dominated by a single impulse, the impulse of poetry.

Characteristics of Tennyson’s poetry.

If we try to conclude quality and supremacy of Tennyson is very hard or difficult one; but three things stand out simply to everyone.

1.	Essentially the artist ·        Tennyson is essentially the artist. No other in his age studied the art of poetry. So, constantly or with such singleness of purpose.
2.	Often a leader ·        He is emphatically a teacher, often a leader.
3.	Spiritual philosophy ·        He used spiritual philosophy in his poetry. Example:  “Law in the physical world evolution,                      Law in the spiritual world of perfect man.”

To make this discussion supportive and worthy, let’s have a look on remarkable works of Tennyson.

Tennyson’s works:

For making it easy to study and also as having record in history, there are two records of Tennyson’s writing.

Two records of Tennyson’s writing
(1)	(2)
Tennyson’s poetry is not so much to be studied as to be read and appreciated; He is a poet to have upon on one’s table and to enjoy as one enjoys his daily exercise.	Tennyson used to write for enjoyment, for inspiration rather than for instruction. For example, We should by all means begins to get acquainted with Tennyson in the days of our youth.

Tennyson’s remarkable works

(1)Poems and Dreams

(2)The princess and Maud

(3)In Memoriam

(4)The Idylls of the king

(5)English Idylls

Now, let’s try to evaluate this all the features in his work “The Princess and Maud”

(1)The Princess and the Maud:

This is a long poem contains 3000 lines of blank verse. In poem, most of songs are delightful part of poet’s later work. Before entering into further discussion, What is the meaning of ‘Maud’?

Maud:

‘Maud’ is kind  of a melodrama we called in literature, telling a story of literature. This very present poem is more attracted to young lovers. The poem seems overwrought and melodramatic.

The dreaminess of Spenser,

The majesty of Milton,

The natural simplicity of Wordsworth,

The fantasy of Blake and Coleridge,

The melody of Keats and Shelley,

The narrative vigor of Scott and Byron

-

All these striking qualities are evident on successive pages of Tennyson's poetry. The only  lacking is the dramatic power of Elizabethans.

Theme:  (1) Woman’s right and woman’s sphere of that time.

                   (2)Love affairs

Central theme: To solve the condition of woman that time and people what to think about women with strong agitating.

This poem is a lyrical poem.

For example, ‘Come into Garden, Maud’ This makes this poem a favorite with young lovers are characteristerised by ‘prettiness’ rather than by beauty or strength.

Poem also leads us to think of that question,

How to come far away from the bad situation of lovers?

Thus, we can certainly say, this is earlier and lyric or also can be seen as legendary narrative. It’s like content to mirror of the feeling just as aspiration of the time. In his writing we can find pictorial effect which opens up sumptuous imagery.

[2] Robert Browning

Here I am describing a poet whose single couplet will suggest that the astonishing vigor and hope that characterize all the works as he one of the Victorian age, who after thirty years of continuous work was finally recognized!

“How good is man’s life,

The mere living! How fit to employ.

All the heart and the soul

And the senses for ever in joy!

It is also very interesting to note that what was his message or object of his writing. To know this, let’s have a look on Browning’s message.

Browning’s message
1.	Triumph of the individual ·        His message is the triumph of the individual will over all obstacles
2.	Supremacy of self ·        The self is not subordinate but supreme.
3.	Absence of pessimistic ·        There is nothing oriental, nothing doubtful, nothing pessimistic in the whole range of his poetry.
4.	Voice of the Anglo-Sexon. ·        He is the voice of the Anglo-sexon standing up in the face of all obstacles and saying…….I CAN AND I WILL.

He is as a poet, who has spoken the strongest word of faith to an age of doubt. His energy, his cheerful courage, his faith in life and his faith in the development that  awaits us beyond the portals of death are like a bugle-call to living. Of future, we can say, both at home and abroad he seems to be gaining steadily in appreciation as the years go by.

Among these all qualities Browning’s style makes him exception.

Browning’s style

(1)Obscurity,       Sometimes rugged, angular style

(2)At its best, noble dignity and verbal music

(3)Variety of material forms

(4)Clearly manipulated rhythmic effects

(5)Didn’t care for beauty of description for its own sake;      Beauty of expression often captured in a single image.

Now, let’s get ideas about Browning’s obscurity:

Browning’s Obscurity is strange to understand. It is also associated with own self mentally and forgets that reader’s associated may be different king. Means…. He does not write with the point of view of reader. He was very much careless in language. His classic references are more difficult to find for readers and understand them. So, allusion are often far fetched of them.

It is said that,

Browning wrote too much and revised too little.

For example,

He wrote in very wide scale but we can’t connect it each-other in many subjectivity.

He express his thoughts that flitted through his head like, group of birds. He thinks very fast like flying birds. We can’t understand his one line because he used many different words in next line and can’t connection of each other. His field was connected the individual soul.

His all works can be divided into above three parts.  Of the short miscellaneous variety poems there is such an unusual variety that one must hesitate a little in 

suggestion this or that to the beginner’s attention.

Browning’s poems
1.	My star
2.	Evelyn Hope
3.	Wanting is- what?
4.	Meeting at Night
5.	Home Thought from Abroad
6.	One word more
7.	Propice
8.	Pippa Passes
9.	By the fireside

(1)Pippa Passes

·       

       Rare poetical qualities 
       Unconscious influence of gypsy girl singing in the wood near his home

·        A perfect of all work

·        With one exception, it is the most perfect of all Browning’s works.

  At best it is not easy, not merely entertaining reading; but it richly repays whatever        hours we spend in studying it.

Difference between Tennyson and Browning

Before discussing anything about this it is worthy to note that Browning’s place in our literature will be better appreciated by comparison with his friend Tennyson.

Difference between Tennyson and Browning
Tennyson	Browning
Tennyson is first the artist and then the teacher	Browning’s message is always the important thing.
He is caring for his language.	Browning is careless from his language.
He chooses his subjects daintily under the influence of romantic revival.	He chooses comely and ugly subject with equal pleasure and aims to show that truth lies hidden in both the evil and the good.
Tennyson’s work is always artistic, never studied art but always devoted to the sciences.	Browning’s Work is seldom care; artistic in form, thought that art was the most suitable for a man’s study.

Thank You.

Reference:

History of English Literature

William J. Long